Just Give Me Two Days
by Die Einzelganger
Summary: Bakura challenges Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba to a dangerous Shadow duel, where more lives are at stake than they thought. NOTE: I wrote the original story in Hungarian. This is my English translation of that story.
1. Duel at Dawn

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue.

I should have done this sooner, but better late than never: I would like to thank my beta readers, Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow, for their invaluable input - Hero Beater doubly for giving me extensive, point by point criticism and proofreading. Without them, this story would be nowhere as good as it is right now. I owe them more than I'll ever be able to express. Thank you both, and please forgive me for not having credited you sooner.

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><p><strong>DUEL AT DAWN<strong>

"_Write that letter._"

"But I don't want to…"

"_Write it._"

Ryou's pupils shrank and grew as he sat at his desk with a few blank sheets in front of him. He didn't even remember when he came to sit there. There was a small doodle in the corner of the top sheet, as if he had been merely drawing out of boredom.

"_Do as I say._"

He reached for the paper when a stab of pain made him flinch, as though something had torn into his hand.

"_Your constant sketching is getting on my nerves. Throw that thing away._"

There was a broken gleam in Ryou's eyes as his hand clumsily clutched at the sheet and crushed it into a ball, the tiny angel he drew in the corner lost between the tightly pressed folds. Ryou felt a dull pang in his heart, and the ball rolled away from between his fingers.

"_Good. Now take an empty sheet, and write what I say._"

Ryou took up his pen and began writing. He did not want to resist it anymore.

_Be at the Northern entrance of Domino City Park at 6 am this Friday, and prepare for the last duel of your life. Don't even think about declining my challenge. If you stall me for even a single second, you will pay dearly._

Two identical letters were written and posted that same day once he penned the addresses in his neat, pearly handwriting: one for Yugi Muto, and the other, for Seto Kaiba.

Both parties had received their respective letters by the next morning. It reached Yugi at home, and Kaiba at his office. Yugi Muto had all but finished his toast by the time his grandfather brought in the morning mail and sat down to the table to sort it out – he was getting ready for school, and already had the upcoming classes on his mind.

"Water bill… gas bill…" his grandfather muttered to himself, setting down the envelopes one by one as if he were playing cards. Yugi mused on in reverie, seemingly not having heard him at all – he was so used to nothing but junk mail and bills in the mail that he didn't even ask if he had gotten anything. He held no correspondence with anyone, and expected neither letters nor packages; he thus kept daydreaming over his steadily cooling cup of tea, enjoying the calm of the morning.

"Electric bill… and what's this? …Well, would you look at that. Yugi! You got a letter."

"I'm sorry. Did you say something, Grandpa?" Yugi asked sheepishly when he realized he had heard his name. His grandfather shook his head with a lenient smile.

"You got a letter, Yugi," he repeated patiently and handed over the envelope. Yugi reached for it with a surprised smile. He had never received anything personal through the mail before, and the hand-written address drew him in, as though it had been penned by an old forgotten friend's hand. He could hardly wait to find out what it said and opened it with hopeful anticipation, but once he grasped its message, he grew pale and folded it with fumbling hands that then fell in his lap helplessly, his heart throbbing with a dull, fearful beat: somebody set a trap for him, and by the time he had read the message, the noose was already around his neck…

"Is something wrong?" asked Solomon, his forehead creasing as he watched his grandson. Yugi's eyes flashed at him alarmed, trying desperately to force a smile on his face and calm his elderly grandfather.

"Everything's fine, Grandpa," he fibbed, self-conscious. "…Somebody wants to duel me."

"Really? Who is it?" inquired Solomon, his features softening.

"I don't know," replied Yugi, hoping his voice wouldn't betray his anxiety. "It looks like I'll just have to wait and see," he said quietly, and pocketed the letter.

"Don't worry, Yugi. You are a great duelist and I have faith in you," said his grandfather, finally putting a real smile on his grandson's face. "However, it might be best right now if you started concentrating on getting ready on time," he added, pointing to the clock on the wall, and it finally dawned on Yugi that he only had a few minutes left to pack.

"Oh no! I'll be late!" he cried, sprinting to his room at once to pack his school bag. Solomon shook his head as he glanced after him, and grabbing his broom, he shuffled out the back door to tidy up the street before opening the Game Shop. His grandson was zigzagging about in his room in the meantime, gathering his things, and soon ran panting to the main entrance… only to nearly sweep Téa away, who was waiting outside, having decided to come by the Game Shop so they could walk to school together. Luckily, Téa sprang away just in time, and Yugi stopped in his tracks before he could get carried away by his own momentum, both of them gasping half spooked, half laughing.

"I'm sorry!" apologized Yugi, his cheeks tinted a soft red. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. It's a good thing I have good reflexes," giggled Téa. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes… I mean… well… not really."

"What's the matter?"

"I'll tell you later…" said Yugi, trying to stall for time, but it was in vain. Joey and Tristan had just arrived as well (the Game Shop was on their way, after all), and Joey immediately got him in a headlock.

"What's this you're gonna tell us later, Yug?" he asked disarmingly, all of them staring at him now, and he knew there was nothing to be done but show them the anonymous letter. Téa grew pale as he read it out loud to them. Joey clenched his fists.

"Who could have written this?" asked Téa.

"I don't know…" said Yugi, his voice uneasy.

"Whoever wrote it, it's bad news," growled Joey. "There's no way a fair duelist would pull somethin' like this."

"Do you think it has anything to do with that ancient prophecy?" Yugi asked all of a sudden. "The one about the Pharaoh and the Millennium items?"

"Beats me, Yug," replied Joey. "But don't worry: we'll be there with ya, and we're gonna protect ya!" he swore with his fist in the air.

"Yeah!" chimed in Tristan at once.

"But guys, it could be a trap, and then you would all be in danger!" pleaded Yugi, but his friends were adamant.

"It's almost certainly a trap, but that's all the more reason for all of us to stick together," replied Téa. "We are your friends, and we won't let you go alone. You might need us!"

"Téa is right," said Tristan. "You'll be a lot safer with us."

"What do you say, Yug?" asked Joey, his fist still clenched, but now with an assuring smile on his face. Yugi looked up at him, a strange gleam in his eyes.

"…Thank you," he uttered, moved by the gesture, and as the fear clutching at his heart lost its grip, a wonderful warmth flushed over him: fervent gratitude that life had given him such great friends.

"_Everything will be alright,_" joined in the Pharaoh inside his mind, his calm, deep voice instilling courage into Yugi's heart. "_Whatever awaits us, we will face it together._"

"_You're right, Pharaoh_," replied Yugi in thought and finally smiled. His friends smiled back at him, and from that moment, they escorted him around all week long to school and back again, so he could focus and prepare for what awaited him…

By the time the four friends headed off to school, Seto Kaiba was already in his office having coffee and waiting for his little brother to bring in the morning reports. Mokuba took this week off school to work for Kaiba Corp as Seto's right-hand man, and right now, he was sorting said reports by priority so that Nii-sama may look through them more easily. When he was finished, he arranged the pile of documents into a neat stack and headed over to his older brother's office. The secretary was waiting for him in the corridor, glancing at him with discernible unease.

"Mokuba-sama! Would you please take this, too?" she asked, gingerly holding out the recently arrived letter. She did her best to avoid disturbing her boss, especially with such trivial things as an anonymous, handwritten envelope that had passed through multiple screenings and still held no more than a handwritten letter. Mokuba eventually shrugged and took the envelope, and the secretary left with a relieved sigh. As much as she felt guilty about hiding behind her boss's little brother, it spared her so many headaches and crackdowns that, after a while, she just couldn't help scanning the corridor for him whenever she knew he would be coming in to work. Mokuba shook his head as he glanced after her, placing the envelope on top of the reports, and then knocked and entered his older brother's office. Seto was just finishing his coffee and browsing company correspondence.

"Here are the morning reports, Nii-sama," announced Mokuba, and offered him the neatly ordered reports. "Oh, and there's a letter for you, too."

"Thank you, Mokuba," replied Kaiba, relieving his little brother of the freshly printed stack, and then picked up the envelope as well, musing over the direction that was personally addressed to him. He tore a neat strip off the envelope and lifted out the letter, unfolding it with a sharp flick of his hand, and Mokuba watched with worry as Nii-sama's face slowly hardened, his eyes sparking furiously by the time he finished reading it.

"What is it, Nii-sama?" he asked nervously. His brother made no answer, but he did hand over the letter at once and waited for his little brother to read it. Mokuba stared back at him, not knowing what to make of it. "Who wrote this?"

"I don't know – there is no sender or signature. But it doesn't matter. I'll find out this Friday morning either way," Kaiba answered dryly as he glared into space, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Does that mean you're going?"

"I have to, Mokuba. Whether this is a personal threat or someone is trying to threaten Kaiba Corp through me, I owe it to myself and my company to go there and put an end to this once and for all."

"But you promised you would–"

"Spend Friday morning with you. _I know_," Kaiba finished his sentence, lowering his head. The threat didn't annoy him half as much as the idea that of what little free time he had, they just had to take Friday morning when he promised to spend it with his little brother before the morning meetings would confine him to his office for good. "I'm sorry, Mokuba. We'll have to reschedule."

"…Not necessarily," said Mokuba shortly, and their eyes met once again. "Not if I go with you, Nii-sama. You're going to win anyway, and then we can go and have breakfast together. What do you say?"

Kaiba couldn't help but crack a smile. He slowly leaned back in his chair, lacing his long fingers together.

"Alright, Mokuba. Fine by me," he replied, and his little brother left the office with a cheerful grin to tackle the rest of his vice-presidential duties. Kaiba' eyes followed him calmly. It no longer bothered him that somebody dared threaten him so underhandedly. He was slowly but surely consumed by the thrill of the upcoming challenge, and having reached a compromise, both brothers looked forward to it with a sense of pleasant excitement. Neither of them doubted the outcome. Kaiba because of his self-confidence, and Mokuba because he not only felt but _knew_ that there was nothing Nii-sama couldn't do.

Come Friday dawn, both parties set forth to Domino City's largest park – Yugi and his friends on foot, and Seto and Mokuba Kaiba by taxi. The streets were still empty, the park looking deserted under the soft pink sky, lending a pictorial backdrop to the upcoming duel… and soon, both guests have arrived: Yugi and his friends, stage right, and the Kaibas, stage left.

"_Yugi?_" uttered Kaiba in astonishment when they finally spotted one other. Mokuba stopped by his side and stared at the arriving company in shock.

"Kaiba?" replied Yugi, thoroughly confused. They stared at each other as though they could not believe their eyes. A lot of potential suspects had crossed their minds to that point, but it was a sign of mutual respect that neither of them suspected the other of an underhanded, anonymous threat.

"I can't believe this! Just who do you think you are, rich boy?" Joey set upon him with his fists clenched. Unlike Yugi, he wouldn't have put anything past Kaiba. "What the heck did you drag us out here for?"

"What are you talking about, Wheeler?" retorted Kaiba. "I can't understand a word you're saying, although that _could_ be because I don't speak dog…"

Fortunately, Tristan managed to grab Joey's arm in time to detain him from ill-advised close quarters combat. Kaiba eyed him with a sneer before turning to Yugi.

"I'm here because of _this_," he said, drawing the letter from the pocket of his white leather overcoat. Yugi unfolded it, a spark of comprehension in his eyes, and produced the letter's counterpart in return, handing it to Kaiba, who glanced through it with disdain and immediately gave it back as if not wanting to get his hands stained.

"Seto?" spoke up Mokuba. "If neither of you wrote that letter, then who challenged you?"

"_It was I._"

All six of them turned towards the entrance of the park. Bakura emerged from behind one of the pillars, eyeing them with satisfaction, a malicious smile in the corner of his lips.

"I see you've all come. I was hoping you would."

Kaiba immediately stepped in front of his little brother and readied his duel disk.

"Let's not waste more time, Bakura. I'm a busy man and I don't have time for losers, so prepare to duel."

Yugi could feel that the Pharaoh wished to take his place, and so he let him assume control of his body and retreated to the safety of his soul room. Yami then took his stance by Kaiba's side and he, too, activated his duel disk.

"I don't know what you want with us, Bakura, but it was a big mistake challenging both of us, because together, we will defeat you and put an end to your plans," he said determined, and both of them showed off their duel disks, decks at the ready.

"Wrong!" replied Bakura, and his Millennium Ring started to glow, a thick fog spreading over the entrance of the park. _The Shadow Realm_, realized Yami.

"Stop stalling with cheap tricks, Bakura!" growled Kaiba.

"I can assure you that this is no cheap trick. Now be silent, because _he_ is my chosen opponent, not you," declared Bakura, pointing a finger at the Pharaoh. The Millennium Ring jolted about his neck as though it had come to life, and a blinding light swept over them for a single moment, only to be snuffed out as if it had never shone. Kaiba and Mokuba drew closer to each other, both staring upward in shock: Bakura and the Pharaoh were towering above them like giants, and a smooth, shimmering playing field began to form between them with fourteen card zones on each side. Bakura's Ring also detached Yugi, and he and his friends looked at the forming playing field in awe, and suddenly, memories of Duelist Kingdom returned, when Ryou had become possessed by the spirit of the Ring and trapped them within their favorite cards. They considered themselves very fortunate to have escaped that fate this time – they were all standing beside the playing field as the sole audience of the duel.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kaiba yelled to Bakura in anger.

"The Shadow Game has begun, me against the Pharaoh, and you will all watch as I defeat him and take what is rightfully mine!" replied Bakura, and then proceeded to completely ignore Kaiba, who was practically snarling at him.

"If you want my Millennium Puzzle, then you will be very disappointed, because I'm going to win this duel and protect my friends!" declared the Pharaoh, locked in a defiant stare with Bakura.

"You will lose, Pharaoh, and when I defeat you, your friends will go down with you!" snarled Bakura and he, too, inserted his deck into his duel disk. Yami's eyes flashed sharply as he placed a hand on his deck. His friends and Mokuba cheered him on. Kaiba stood aside, taciturn and morose, watching Bakura with utter contempt.

"_Let's duel!_"


	2. Blue Eyes and the Dark Magician

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

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><p><strong>BLUE-EYES AND THE DARK MAGICIAN<strong>

"I'll go first," announced Bakura, and inspected his five cards before he drew. "I summon a monster face-down in defense mode… Your move."

"Alright," replied Yami, and he drew as well. "I summon _Gamma, the Magnet Warrior_!" he cried, and _Gamma_ appeared on the field. "My _Magnet Warrior_, attack his face-down card!"

_Gamma_ struck the card and revealed the hidden monster: the _Headless Knight_.

"You are out of luck, Pharaoh," Bakura said darkly. Yami lost 200 life points and _Gamma_ obediently retreated to his slot in attack mode, while the _Headless Knight,_ now in plain sight, waited in front of Bakura in defense mode.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"So be it," Bakura replied flatly, drawing a card. A cruel smile flashed across his face. _Excellent._ "I summon a monster face-down in defense mode and place another card face-down. But that's not all, Pharaoh. For now I'm going to play a special field spell card, just for you…" he said in a low, malevolent voice, inserting a card into the special slot of his duel disk. "_Battle to the Death!_"

"What is that? Tell me!"

"I'll explain how it works," said Bakura in an off-handed tone. "Now both of us shall receive a card that we must immediately place on our playing field."

The moment he spoke, two slots flared up, and slowly, the cards materialized: based on their color, they were supposed to be monster cards, but all their attributes were blank.

"As you can see, they are empty and lie opposite one another: the monsters that we summon into these slots can only fight each other to the death…"

"Get to the point, Bakura!"

"Gladly. We can summon our first two monsters right away anyway. Now see what I have chosen!" Bakura cried out with a malevolent grin. The Millennium Ring started to glow around his neck, and suddenly, a beam of light burst forward from it. Yami instinctively raised an arm to protect himself, but then discovered to his horror that he wasn't the target: the beam slithered past him in a flash, and then struck down, like a shining whip, wrapping itself around Kaiba's throat. Seto tried to wrench himself free, but he couldn't pry it off, and the light beam quickly started to drag him towards the playing field.

"Nii-sama!" screamed Mokuba and tried to run after his brother, but Tristan quickly grabbed him and snatched him up to hold him back.

"Are you nuts?" he snapped at the frightened child; Mokuba was thrashing fiercely in his grasp, and the others stood in shock, staring wide-eyed at Kaiba.

"Stop this at once, Bakura!" Yami cried in anger. Kaiba gasped for air as he was drawn towards Bakura's activated card; he planted his feet several times, but it was no use, and the light beam dragged him along relentlessly until it finally forced him onto the surface of the empty card. The beam then detached itself from the Millennium Ring and its loose end penetrated the blank square. Kaiba was the card's prisoner now, and as it flared up, the attack and defense points became visible: 3000/2500.

"How do you like my _Blue-Eyes?_" Bakura asked, grinning. Yami hissed in anger.

"Nii-sama!" howled Mokuba, now beside himself, and elbowed Tristan in the groin in desperation, the sudden pain causing Tristan to lose his hold on him. He couldn't reach him fast enough, and Mokuba darted towards the playing field. He had no idea how he could help, but he wanted to try, no matter what.

"Mokuba, _NO!_" howled Kaiba, hardly able breathe in the clutches of the light beam, but it was too late: his little brother had reached him, seized the shining shackle rising from the card, and he started tugging at it.

"I won't leave you!" cried Mokuba, and he yanked hard at the light beam to tear it out, without success. Bakura laughed.

"I see you two cannot bear to be apart! So be it!" he said magnanimously, and another light beam emerged from the Ring, coiling around Mokuba. It wrapped around his small chest, tied his arms behind his back and chained him onto Seto's lower arm, where he then hung suspended like some living counterweight.

"Mokuba!" Yami cried out in shock.

"What have you done, you snake?" howled Kaiba.

"He wanted to defend you so badly. I granted his wish," came the gentle reply, and the next moment, Kaiba's free arm jerked backwards against his will, his other arm lifted in front of him along with Mokuba, as if he had assumed a defensive position.

"He makes for a dainty little shield, doesn't he?" purred Bakura. Kaiba struggled frantically to move his arm, but he was helpless: he no longer had any control over his own body. Mokuba hung on his older brother's arm defenselessly, and tried desperately to turn his head to at least look his Nii-sama in the eye, but it was no use.

"You can't do this!" roared Kaiba, completely beside himself.

"Oh, but I already have…"

"Release them at once, Bakura!" demanded Yami, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Why would I? The best is yet to come!" cried Bakura excitedly, and the next moment, the playing field was engulfed by a blinding light, the air filled with the screams of Yugi and his friends. More beams of light burst forth from the Millennium Ring and chained them to one another – Joey and Tristan stood bound with their backs to each other while Yugi and Téa were pressed against them from left and right in the clutches of the beams. By the time the Ring's light dissipated and the Pharaoh regained his sight, it was too late: Yugi and his friends were helpless captives of the card in front of him, and their values were also revealed: 2500/2100.

"_Oh no,_" groaned Yami. Yugi and his friends stared at him in fright, and then at Kaiba, who stood facing them, pale as a ghost, Mokuba still held in front of him. Bakura laughed.

"Now we have our monsters!" he declared happily. "Are you ready, Pharaoh?"

Kaiba's free arm swung forward and his other arm was lowered along with Mokuba in attack position. Kaiba gave a stunned groan; his little brother thrashed about terrified.

"I hope you realize what's coming," Bakura said with a grin. "As long as both monsters are on the playing field, they can only be each other's targets. That means they will also be dueling in a way, but unlike other monsters, the loser is gone for good when either he or my field spell card is destroyed. You see, Kaiba, I didn't leave you out of the fun – you will get the distinct honor of exterminating the Pharaoh's friends. He can try to stop you, but sooner or later he will have to choose which one of you is to die, and just between us, he values your life just as little as I do…"

"Don't listen to him, Kaiba!" implored the Pharaoh. "I swear I will find a way to save all of you!"

"Now there's an empty promise for you!" Bakura scoffed cheerfully. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but most trap and magic cards have rather painful consequences. Just try _Mirror Force_ on him and we'll see if he survives!"

"Yugi!" cried Kaiba, his voice almost pleading. "I don't care what you do, just don't let my little brother get hurt!"

"I promise to defend you and Mokuba, Kaiba! Trust me!"

"How touching," sneered Bakura. "And pathetic. How fortunate that my field spell card forces our monsters to attack each turn! My turn may be over, but yours is coming up and you have no choice!" he said, and laughed again.

Yami glared at him, his jaws clenched, and drew a card. As fate would have it, he drew _Mirror Force_, and he had a feeling that this would not be the last card he would draw that could prove a lifesaver in any other situation, but would lead to Kaiba's demise here, and he was certain that Bakura, who had no regard for the lives of his friends, would not protect the brothers even if it were in his interest to do so.

"Stop wasting time, Pharaoh."

"I summon _Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts_, in attack mode," said Yami and activated his card. "It's time to get rid of your face-down monster! _Gazelle_, attack!"

_Gazelle_ was successful, and _Sangan_ was destroyed.

"Fine by me," Bakura said, unperturbed. "Now that _Sangan_ goes to the Graveyard, I can choose a monster with one thousand five hundred attack points or less from my deck, and I choose _Gernia_!" he said, showing the card before he shuffled his deck and reinserted it into his duel disk. "And now, I activate my trap: _Just Desserts_!"

Yami clutched at his chest in pain. He lost one thousand five hundred life points for his three monsters. Nearly half of his life points were gone.

"Pharaoh!" cried Yugi in alarm. "Are you alright?"

"It hurt, didn't it?" purred Bakura. "And it's not over yet! Unless you want to send your _Magnet Warrior_ to certain death, say goodbye to your friends, because you have no choice but to attack with them!"

Yami knew that _Gamma_ couldn't defeat the _Headless Knight_, so he switched him to defense mode. It was Yugi's turn, and just like Kaiba, he, too, was helpless against the magic that bound him, his arms swinging forward like some living marionette. A wild force swept over him, ready to be unleashed, his palms starting to glow like the _Dark Magician_'s staff.

"Yugi, NO!" Kaiba cried in alarm, desperately trying to twist his arm further back to shield Mokuba from the imminent attack. His own extended hand began to glow as well. White lightning crackled in his palm.

"I… can't… control it!" groaned Yugi, petrified.

"They are history!" Bakura cried in triumph – until Yami's hand shot up in the air.

"I activate my trap! _Spellbinding Circle_!"

The circle appeared out of thin air, the symbols glowing fiercely as the spell circle spun across the air and clasped itself around Yugi's extended arms like a magic manacle. The pulsating dark light flickered in his palm and then extinguished as if it had never shone. Kaiba heaved, trembling; Yugi and his friends were drenched in sweat.

"You were lucky," conceded Bakura with a sour face. "But don't think that circle will remain there for long. You have only gained time and nothing more. They will all die in the end!"

"That's enough! It's your move," Yami said sharply, watching his friends with worry. Thanks to the _Spellbinding Circle_, they were still safe… the only question was how long.


	3. The Gateway

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

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><p><strong>THE GATEWAY<strong>

"Let's see what awaits you," Bakura said darkly, drawing a card. His face spoke of disappointment, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the Pharaoh. "I activate this magic card: _Card Destruction_."

They both placed their cards in the Graveyard and drew until they had as many as they had held when they began. Bakura's eyes flashed ominously, his lips curled into a cruel little smile.

"This is where the game will _really_ get interesting!"

"What are you up to, Bakura?"

"I have just drawn the card that will finally mobilize these worthless mortals. If you thought you could protect them with _Spellbinding Circle_, you were wrong!"

"What did you draw? Tell me!"

"All in good time. First I will sacrifice the _Headless Knight_ to summon this: _The Earl of Demise_!"

A hideous ghoul emerged onto the playing field, finely dressed and sword in hand.

"_Earl of Demise_, destroy _Gazelle_!"

_Gazelle_ fell in battle, and the Pharaoh was stripped of 500 life points.

"And now I will play my magic card: _Different Dimension Gate_!"

"Oh, no!" groaned Yami, but it was too late: the card was activated, and a shining, pulsating portal opened up on it.

"If you won't let me put your pathetic friends to use, then I shall banish them into exile! With this card, I can remove one monster from each of us from play, and while this card remains on the field, they cannot return! _Dimension Gate_, send them to another world!"

The pulsating light of the gateway turned into a whirling black hole, a powerful tornado swelling in its throat that tore the light beams out of the cards like weeds from the ground. The Kaiba brothers were swept from the field and the four friends after them, screaming and squirming to no avail. The whirling gateway swallowed them all in a matter of seconds and the _Dimension Gate_ closed upon them, trapping Yugi and the others within.

"YUGI! NO!" howled Yami, but it was too late.

"Your friends are now trapped in a different world, Pharaoh," smirked Bakura. "You are all alone."

Yami grabbed the Millennium Puzzle and concentrated, calling to Yugi in vain. He could not hear or feel him, as if he had been sapped from his soul. His eyes flashed furiously.

"I will bring my friends back! I will find a way!"

"We shall see, Pharaoh. As long as my card remains in play, they are not coming back, and should the duel end this way, you will never see them again. And now, let's continue our duel, because it's finally getting interesting. The stakes could not be higher on your side: your Millennium Puzzle, the body of your host, your worthless friends… and of course, Kaiba, the upstart nobody, who plays too important a role in this ancient struggle considering he rejected his past like a coward."

"If you hold Kaiba in such disdain, and you're wrong, then why did you choose him for your side of the field?"

"Simple: because I gained more with him than with your worthless cheerleaders. Even if you do manage to bring them back, he will be stronger, and the _Spellbinding Circle_ will no longer be in effect, and then I shall give you the final blow with your own arch rival. But let's not get ahead of ourselves… who knows if you will live long enough to bring them back…"

"I'll fight to the end! I believe in my deck and my friends, and I will defeat you, Bakura!"

"Then what are you waiting for? I would hurry up if I were you. Time flows very differently for your friends. Who knows what will happen to them if you're not fast enough…"

Yami looked down at the blank cards still lying upon the playing field, and then at his own cards, and he had to admit that Bakura was right. He had no choice but to fight and bring back his friends as soon as possible, no matter where they had been taken. His hand wandered to the Puzzle, his fingers closing upon it. _I swear I will set you free, Yugi. I will set all of you free – just hang in there._

"It's my move," he said, determined, and drew a card.


	4. A Whole New World

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>A WHOLE NEW WORLD<strong>

Mokuba was the first to open his eyes. He was lying on the pavement next to his brother, their friends lying around them, and Bakura and the Pharaoh were gone, as though the duel had never even happened. He turned back to Nii-sama and gently shook his shoulder. Kaiba slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet.

"Are you alright, Nii-sama?" his little brother asked quietly.

"Yes… and you?"

"Me too… I think so."

The others were slowly coming around, brought back to their senses by those familiar voices. Joey and Tristan sat up and looked around surprised, and Yugi quickly stood up to help Téa to her feet.

"What happened?" asked Téa, staring at the deserted space around them. It was dawning here as well, the pavement and the beautiful park in front of them bathed in its soft, rosy glow.

"I don't know…" said Yugi, looking puzzled. "We were on the playing field a moment ago, before that gate opened up… do you think Bakura really succeeded and banished us? Could this be the other dimension?"

"Other dimension? Come on!" snapped Kaiba, drawing everyone's attention. "_Look around!_ We are back right where the duel began, except Bakura's missing. He must have distracted us somehow and ran away like a coward because he knew he had no chance of winning!"

The others listened to him with growing despondence. They had a hunch that Kaiba would refuse to accept the fact that anything is possible with Shadow magic, especially since nothing changed around them that they could have used as an argument to convince him.

"Kaiba, please!" entreated Yugi. "Just think of the situation we were in a minute ago! If Bakura was capable of capturing and controlling us, then why wouldn't he be able to banish us as well?"

"Because it just _can't be!_" snapped Kaiba. "_There is no way!_ It's all a cheap trick!"

"How can you be this blind?" asked Joey, genuinely stunned. "Get a clue, rich boy! You got to see firsthand what Bakura's capable of, so why can't you just accept that he could pull this off, too?"

"Because I refuse to be fooled by that snake!" Kaiba snarled, turning his head around furiously. "You hear me, Bakura? I know that this is all hocus pocus, and when I find you, you will be sorry you ever tried to cross me!"

"Kaiba, calm down!" implored Yugi. "Threats aren't going to help us now! We've got to think of a plan and we have to stick together! I'm sure together we will figure something out!"

"_Me_, teaming up with _you?_" Kaiba's words dripped with disdain. "Forget it, Yugi. I can find Bakura on my own, I don't need your help! Come on, Mokuba," he said to his little brother, turning his back on Yugi and his friends to walk away. Mokuba shot an unsure, almost apologetic glance at the others before he ran after his brother, trying to keep up with him.

"Stuck-up jerk," grumbled Joey as he looked at Yugi, who was staring after Kaiba with a concerned look on his face. "Forget 'im, Yug. He ain't coming back and I ain't gonna beg 'im. We're better off without 'im."

"Yeah, let him go his own way," said Tristan. "Maybe when he gets into trouble, he'll finally learn something."

"I sincerely hope he won't get into trouble," Yugi said quietly, watching the two brothers in the distance. "Don't forget that this is a different world and Mokuba's with him. If he gets in trouble, his little brother will also be in danger."

"Then what do we do now? Should we go after him?" asked Téa.

"Maybe it's too late for that… but I think I know where he's heading."

"Where?" asked Tristan, not following him.

"To Kaiba Corp Headquarters. It makes sense, right? Whether he believes what Bakura said or not, the only way he can be sure is by checking on his company."

"That's true," conceded Joey.

"I suggest that we go to my grandpa's Game Shop and have a look around. We might even run into ourselves there, and that might help us figure out what sort of world we're up against! After that, all we have to do is go to Kaiba's headquarters and ask him what _he_ found out. Maybe he'll be more reasonable by then and more willing to cooperate."

"I'm with you," said Téa. "Kaiba can probably take care of himself in the meantime."

"Fine," sighed Joey, resigned. "I just hope we won't end up having to argue with two Kaibas, 'cause even one gives me a major headache."

"Just do yourself a favor, Joey, and don't challenge them to a duel, because you'd lose twice as hard," teased Tristan.

"My fist is about to duel with your face, pal!"

"Calm down, Joey. Now let's go," said Téa. "I don't want to stay here any longer. The sooner we find somebody we can talk to, the better."

"Téa's right," said Yugi. "Come on, guys. We have to find out what world we've been taken to and fast, because it could be worse than it seems," he added, and they headed off to the Game Shop.

"I don't know, Yugi. I don't see anything out of the ordinary," remarked Tristan as he looked around at the awakening city. "Just look around – how different can this world be…?"


	5. The Lost Kaiba Boys

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>THE LOST KAIBA BOYS<strong>

Seto Kaiba was indeed heading towards Kaiba Corp headquarters, and he was in a hurry. He had a bad premonition and knew that he would not be able to shake it off until he could make sure he had no cause for concern. He wanted nothing more than to enter his office and take his place by his desk at last, to assume control once again and be one step closer to exposing Bakura as the fraud he was and taking revenge on him for endangering his little brother's life. Mokuba, fearing that it wouldn't be that simple but sincerely hoping that his brother was right, ran alongside him without a word. He needed every gulp of air to keep up with Kaiba's pace, and after a while, he wanted nothing more than to collapse on the sofa in his office and finally have breakfast with him before Nii-sama would be swamped with work for the rest of the day.

The central building was but a fifteen-minute walk away, and they soon entered through the glass door. Kaiba immediately headed towards the personnel elevators on the far end, Mokuba by his side, without so much as a glance at the environment he knew so well.

"Where are you going, Sir?" the receptionist called after him. Kaiba turned around and gave her a scornful glare.

"Where do you think? To my office."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you in without a prior appointment," stated the receptionist as though she hadn't heard him at all.

"What the hell are you talking about? Do you know who I am?"

"I have no idea who you are, but it is quite immaterial to me because Gozaburo Kaiba is not receiving anyone today."

"What? Did you say _Gozaburo Kaiba?_" breathed Seto. He and Mokuba exchanged glances. Both of them had grown pale.

"If you want an appointment, call in advance, and now I must ask you to leave or I shall be forced to call security."

The moment she spoke, two suits stirred in the far end of the corridor – hefty, well-armed security guards. Kaiba narrowed his eyes.

"That won't be necessary," he growled in utter resentment. "Come on, Mokuba," They then turned around and left the building, not looking back again.

"I don't understand. How can that senile old fool still be the president? This doesn't make any sense…" brooded Kaiba once they stood in the square in front of the central building.

"Maybe you didn't manage to get fifty-one percent in this dimension."

"Impossible, Mokuba. I never lose, especially not to Gozaburo Kaiba."

"Can you think of a better explanation?"

"Not yet… but if so, then what happened to _us?_" he asked his brother… and the next moment, he had a flashback to his stepfather convulsing with rage in the meeting room. _And don't think you're off the hook, Seto! You're headed back to the orphanage, where ungrateful brats like you belong!_ The voice felt like a blow to his face, and Kaiba balked. His eyes were glassy.

"Mokuba…"

"Yes, Nii-sama?" his little brother asked in fear.

"We have to go back to the orphanage."

The claws of time may have torn cracks in the plaster, but the orphanage still looked the same as it did seven years ago. Kaiba could feel the gall rising in his throat as the long suppressed memories washed over him: the apathetic faces of their relatives as he took Mokuba's hand and helped him out of the car; his little brother's tears because he couldn't understand why father had left them, and having had to raise Mokuba to be tough to protect him from bullies preying on the small and the weak. Mokuba, too, was lost in his memories. He could hardly believe how much Nii-sama had changed in those days, and to this day, he still wished he could have changed the past and bring back the Seto that could still smile and laugh before life struck him in the face and robbed him of his happiness for ever. He was almost too scared to cross the threshold, terrified of what might await him within – and blush though he did, he clung to his brother's arm for strength, and just this once, Nii-sama let him without a word, because deep inside, he was just as afraid…

The gatekeeper was unfamiliar to them. He was probably hired after the Seto and Mokuba of this world had left the institution, because he did not recognize either of them and politely explained the way to the director's office. As they walked down the halls, nobody seemed to recognize their faces or care about them, for that matter. It was still early, the halls were mostly empty, and the employees rarely met the orphans behind their daily paperwork. They knocked on the director's door, and a familiar voice answered from within – the orphanage was still run by the same person, it seemed. Kaiba tried to compose himself as he entered the office, and Mokuba followed, clinging to him even more.

"Good day," Kaiba said dryly as they stepped in front of the desk.

"Good day…" replied the director, and when he finally looked up from the files in his hand, he stared into that hardened young face with obvious surprise. "Wait a minute, you seem familiar… I know _you,_ _young man!_ Your name is Seto, right?"

Kaiba felt his face twitch. Ever since everyone started calling him Kaiba-sama almost two years ago, he could not be satisfied with anything less. He detested this world more and more and cursed the moment he had wound up here, but Mokuba quickly grabbed his wrist and gave it a squeeze, and so he recovered relatively quickly and didn't even yell.

"Yes, and this is my brother, Mokuba."

"Of course he is. It's only been two years since you've left us, after all. How may I help you, boys?"

_Boys? Boys?_ Kaiba was nearly smoldering with rage, but he tried to control himself and gather his thoughts. Mokuba was silent. The director's words set him thinking.

"We are here to request our files," stated Kaiba. "For a… job interview. They said they would like to run a background check on me as a job candidate, and because my brother is my only family member, they also requested his information. We would just like to photocopy our files and then we'll be on our way."

"I see," said the director slowly, contemplating Seto's words. "Well, since they are your files, consider it done. Wait outside. You will receive the photocopies shortly."

"Of every single document?"

"Of course. My secretary will see to it."

And so Kaiba and Mokuba sat down in the lobby. The employees greeted them kindly as they slowly came drifting in, and by his own standards, Kaiba was agreeable in return, though his mind revolved only around the documents. Mokuba sat in awkward silence.

"Nii-sama?" he spoke when he could contain himself no longer.

"Yes, Mokuba?"

"Suppose that we are the same age in this dimension as we are now."

"Sounds reasonable," granted Kaiba with a hint of suspicion.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Gozaburo adopted us _seven_ years ago, not two. If we only left this place two years ago, then the adoptive parent couldn't have been Gozaburo."

Kaiba grew pale when he realized what Mokuba was getting at. He was so busy trying to sell the director a plausible story that he hardly even registered his words. A thousand questions flooded his mind, overcome with his anger, his wounded pride.

"You mean we rot in here till I was fifteen and _nobody_ wanted us?" he asked back, his voice now bitter with rage and his eyes burning so furiously that Mokuba was veritably scared of him.

"How on earth can that be? Did I lose the chess match to Gozaburo? There is just no way!"

"Nii-sama…"

"What?" Kaiba snapped at him, and Mokuba turned pale. Only then did his older brother come to his senses, hanging his head and closing his eyes to calm down.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba. It's just that…"

"Just what, Seto?" Mokuba asked timidly, clinging to his older brother's coat. Kaiba lifted his head to look at him. Mokuba felt as though he had ever seen him so unsure.

"I'm just worried about what happened to _us._"

They soon received their respective photocopies and were free to leave. Kaiba would have sat down to skim through them right away, but Mokuba didn't want to stay for another minute, and so they entered the first café they came across and found themselves a quiet, secluded corner. They were soon attended to by a weary but otherwise polite waitress. Mokuba ordered a glass of fruit juice, Kaiba settling for a strong espresso, and they soon laid out the documents and started to look through their respective files. Mokuba's heart sank as he checked his birth name and information, and his brother seethed with bitter hatred as he worked his way through a list of more than twenty initiated and disrupted adoption processes, which did nothing to further their investigation, but merely served as a reminder that all of these parents refused to adopt both of them even though he was ready for any compromise to keep Mokuba by his side. What truly astonished him, however, was the very last document, and His little brother had to yank at his arm with all his might to finally snap him out of his stupor.

"What is it, Nii-sama?" he demanded anxiously. "Who took us in? Come on, tell me!"

Seto had no choice but to pull himself together. He turned to his little brother, and Mokuba could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"No one did, Mokuba. I won a scholarship for underprivileged children and we were transferred to a dorm."

"What?" Mokuba asked back in disbelief, relieving his brother of the files.

"You heard me," Kaiba continued as Mokuba pored over the documents. "According to my contract, the school assumed guardianship over both of us, so they gave us a dorm room and a measly scholarship barely fit for one. I guess that means I'll become of age when I graduate."

"So Gozaburo had nothing to do with us? I thought his name would be here somewhere, but they don't even mention him," said Mokuba as he checked the list.

"That no longer surprises me," his brother muttered with contempt. "If I had won that chess game, he would have adopted us, end of list, end of story, and if I had lost, then the adoption process couldn't even have begun."

"Maybe you didn't challenge him at all," suggested Mokuba.

"Like _I_ would have passed up the opportunity?" responded Seto, a note of reprehension in his voice.

"Don't forget that this is another dimension, Nii-sama. Maybe we are completely different in this world."

"So I'm a loser in this world, is that it?" Kaiba completed Mokuba's trail of thought with conspicuous resentment.

"I didn't say that," said Mokuba sharply. Kaiba tried to control himself.

"I know you didn't."

"Then don't be so hostile, Nii-sama," retorted Mokuba. His brother rolled his eyes at him, but he soon sighed and yielded.

"Alright already. I'm sorry. Now drink your fruit juice, because we're going."

"To the dorm?"

"Where else?"


	6. Two Lives in a Nutshell

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>TWO LIVES IN A NUTSHELL<strong>

The dorm was usually calm and peaceful at dawn. Last night's party-hard youth were dead asleep by then, and the students getting ready for work or their first classes crept quietly down the otherwise deserted halls to shower, or to go to the kitchen down the hall for coffee, cereal, plates and the like. This was Seto's favorite time of day. He got up, snuck past his sleeping little brother and prepared himself a watery cup of coffee in the common kitchen, sitting by the window to sip it, dreaming that the time would come when he would drink real coffee in his own kitchen, and Mokuba and he could eat for breakfast whatever their hearts desired. Whenever he reached that point in his day-dream, he always had to stop – he didn't dare imagine what he would eat if he could have _anything_ in the world. It was best not to think of such things, else he might have been unable to enjoy that one slice of plain toast he allowed himself in the mornings so his little brother could have more: a _whole_ sandwich, with a bit of butter and a small slice of cheese, which he then cut into two and wrapped one of the halves in newspaper so Mokuba would have something to eat between classes.

He didn't pack himself anything. He had been starving himself for seven years so Mokuba could have more, to the point where he might not have been able to eat more even if there _had been _something to eat. He placed the half sandwich on a plate, poured his little brother a glass of water, and walked back to their room. His thin, bony frame hardly cast a shadow in the morning light.

"Good morning, Mokuba," he said softly, placing the plate and glass on his little brother's nightstand. Mokuba wouldn't budge, so Seto kept shaking his shoulders gingerly until he grudgingly sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes with a sulky look on his face.

"I could have used more sleep," he grumbled.

"I know, but I don't want you to be late for school," Seto said gently. "Here's your breakfast."

"Let me guess: cheese sandwich," came Mokuba's nonchalant response, but he did grab the plate and set it in front of him, taking a bite of his meager breakfast.

"Correct. What would you like in your sandwich next week?" asked Seto, a tentative smile on his face.

"I'd rather starve to death than eat sandwiches for another week," grumbled Mokuba without even looking at him.

Seto merely sighed in response and proceeded to gather his things. Mokuba was never very cheerful in the mornings and Seto was long used to his constant discontent, but he wished his little brother would have at least tried to be civil every once in a while. Mokuba could tell that he hurt his feelings; he rolled out of bed and walked over to Seto, who was packing his school bag.

"I'm sorry, Ani-chan. I'm just tired of cheese, that's all," _and of this life_, he thought.

Seto didn't answer right away. He rearranged his textbooks, again, and hoped that Mokuba wouldn't notice he had turned crimson in shame because he couldn't afford more than a bag of sliced bread and a small hunk of cheese.

"Ani-chan."

Still nothing – Seto was now fiddling with the buckles of his school bag. He was lucky to always find something at hand to busy himself with when he didn't want to show how much his little brother's words mortified him. Mokuba knew this habit very well, of course. He gently put an arm around his older brother's shoulder, drawing him into an embrace.

"I'm sorry, Ani-chan," he said quietly. "I was being unfair."

"It's okay," said Seto, his voice small. Mokuba, still gnawed by guilt, offered his older brother the remains of his cheese sandwich.

"Then let's share this. Please."

Seto, still melancholy, bit off a tiny nibble, minuscule even by his standards, and mechanically chewed it to atoms before swallowing.

"The rest is yours," he said, and to calm his brother's conscience, he forced a small smile on his face. Mokuba felt a lump in his throat, and he gave his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"You are too good to me, Ani-chan."

Fifteen minutes later, they headed off to school. Seto in a weather-beaten overcoat, Mokuba in a worn hooded jacket, and half a sandwich in his pocket: a token of his brother's affection.


	7. Points of Divergence

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>POINTS OF DIVERGENCE<strong>

Yugi thought himself very fortunate that he lived so close to the park and it would take but a few minutes on foot to reach his grandfather's Game Shop. He could hardly wait to get there, desperately craving some reassurance that this world was not completely alien from his own, and any clue that would have shed some light on their current situation. He had a sneaking suspicion that, had Bakura any choice in the matter, he probably banished them to a world where none of them would be safe – and yet, oddly enough, he was not afraid at all. The idea that he had his friends by his side and could rely on them in need meant the world to him, and when he measured his own safety that way, Kaiba and Mokuba seemed particularly defenseless in his eyes. He was long sorry, almost ashamed, that he didn't try and persuade them to stay, but it was too late to turn back now. His only hope was that they would soon reunite safe and sound, and perhaps have some good news to share with each other.

They soon reached the street that would eventually lead them to the Game Shop. All four of them were a bundle of nerves by now, Yugi's heart beating in his throat as they slowly crept towards the front entrance. Only then did he check his watch and realize that it was still too early to open the Game Shop, and so they carefully snuck around to the private entrance on the other side. Yugi's breath grew scarce as he stepped to the door and fished out his keys to open it, but just then, he heard footsteps from within, jerking back in fright. Joey, Tristan and Téa had all huddled together behind a large garbage container by the side of the house by then, and Yugi took cover beside them just in time as the door swung open with a small chime. They heard slow, shuffling steps and then a scraping sound, like a groom sweeping the ground. _It must be Grandpa_, thought Yugi, breaking into a smile. He hoped he would soon have a chance to exchange a few words with him. However, just then, he heard an angry voice, and his hopes faded away like twilight fog.

"I'm not finished, old man! Do you hear me?"

Yugi found to his eternal shock that he had heard his own voice. A sense of confused shame washed over him, and his friends, too, were astonished by the idea of an angry, aggressive Yugi Muto. However, his grandfather stood his ground. He stopped sweeping, and they could hear the dirt screeching under his feet as he turned to face his grandson.

"I heard you, but I don't care, you're not getting _Exodia_ and that's final! Wasn't Hawkins's card enough?"

"That piece of trash is nothing compared to _Exodia_, you old fool!"

"That's just it, that I'm not a fool – I would be mad to part with the world's most powerful cards! Besides, cards aren't everything. If you can't win with what you have, then you are a loser, sonny boy, and losers deserve _nothing!_"

"I'm not a loser," hissed Yugi Muto. His grandfather snorted scornfully.

"We'll see about that," came the dismissive reply, and the door slammed with a thundering crash – Yugi must have slammed it shut in anger.

A few moments later, Solomon Muto picked up his broom again, and as it scratched away at the cool concrete, Yugi and his friends finally decided to take their chance and slip away from the container. They carefully started sneaking towards the entrance of the shop. Yugi wasn't even sure what to do next, but he just couldn't bear to stay there and listen to his grandfather wage war against the dirty ground, torn with shame that his counterpart could be so disrespectful towards the elderly man who had taken him into his home and cared for him. However, he tried to escape in vain, suddenly trapped as the entrance of the Game Shop swung open, and they remained where they were, defenseless, because there was nothing else to hide behind…

Fortunately for them, the quickest way to school was on the other side of the shop, and this was the only thing that kept them from total despair. However, they weren't safe just yet, for Yugi Muto didn't leave right away. There was a flash by the entrance, a school bag landing on one of the steps, and down sat Yugi as if he were waiting for someone. The four friends looked at each other alarmed. They had nowhere to run, and there was nothing left to do but wait with him, hardly able to contain their anxiety. And then, they heard footsteps at last. Somebody was approaching the shop from the other side, arriving with a dull thump – another school bag ended up on the steps and its owner sat down next to Yugi Muto.

"Hey," spoke a new voice. It was Tristan Taylor.

"You're late," came the unfriendly reply.

"Maybe if I didn't have to play postman, I could have been here on time."

"I don't know why you're whining, it's not like it was a detour, was it? …Where did you leave the message?"

"In the mailbox."

"He didn't see you, right?"

"Nope."

"Good."

"I don't get it, Yugi. What was the point? Why don't we just go over to him and beat him up like last time?"

"Because that wouldn't prove a thing, you idiot! My reputation is at stake! I should have asked for that rematch a year ago… who knew that somebody still remembered it."

"Somebody blabbed."

"Then somebody's gonna get their lip busted."

"But I still don't get why we can't just go up to him and tell him that tomorrow it's showdown."

"Because I don't want him to have time to prepare, you moron. He might inform somebody or ask for help, and I bet there are people out there who would be willing to help just to mess with me. Well, they won't! Let him think he's having a good day. It'll hurt all the more when he realizes that he's going to spend his weekend in a coffin. By the time he gets home tonight, it'll be too late, and I want him to squirm a little before he gets what he deserves.'

"If you say so…"

"I say so."

"Are we waiting for Joey?"

"Who else? If _you_ are this slow, then I'll definitely have to tell him to lay low and leave that deadbeat mongrel alone. You'll get him tomorrow. You can wait for one day, can't you?"

"I don't care. It's not like he was much of a challenge in the first place."

There was a moment of silence – by the sound of it, Taylor was rummaging through his school bag. Yugi and Tristan glanced at each other. Both of them had turned green.

"Hey, there's Joey," said Taylor, breaking the silence.

"Then let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the better," replied Muto, and both of them stood up, walked to the other side of the shop and headed off to school. Slowly but surely, Solomon Muto stopped sweeping the street as well and returned to the house, and the four friends looked at each other, their hearts clenching and their shock turned to disgust and alarm.

"Not for nothin', Yug, but you're a real jerk in this world," said Joey, but once he saw Yugi's face, he added, "And from what I've heard, so am I… I thought I had grown outta this."

"We _have_ grown out of it, Joey," sighed Tristan. "Just not in this world, that's all."

"I'm almost glad I wasn't with them," said Téa, her voice trembling. "If _your_ counterparts are like that, then I don't even want to know what _I'm_ like."

"I just want to know one thing – who they were talking about," said Yugi, his heart sinking. "Whoever it is, they are in trouble and need help."

"Yeah, but what can we do?" asked Tristan. "You heard them: they're going to act like everything's fine. How are we going to spot the victim if they are going to ignore him?"

"No how," conceded Yugi, growing despondent. "But we can't just sit here and do nothing. We have to think of a plan."

"But what?" asked Téa. Nervous silence followed.

"Let's find Kaiba," said Yugi all of a sudden. "They probably wouldn't suspect Kaiba. Maybe he could talk to them and find out who they want to attack, and I don't care if I have to beg him on my knees. It's worth a try."

"Yugi's right," said Tristan, his voice agitated. "We don't have a better plan anyway, and until we find out the truth, maybe it's best if nobody finds out there's two of us."

"Then let's go," said Joey as though it was a bitter pill he had to swallow. "The sooner we get this over with, the better, 'cause somethin' tells me we ain't gonna live down askin' rich boy for favors."


	8. Victory and Vicissitude

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>VICTORY AND VICISSITUDE<strong>

Unlike his little brother, Seto couldn't learn to like school in the two years he spent there. Mokuba was a lively, tough little creature, nurtured on his brother's self-sacrifice, and though he was smaller than his peers, he was also faster and nimbler than any of them, and at his age, a series of perfect cartwheels or having no equal at the obstacle course was more than enough to grant him lots of friends and admirers. Seto's efforts to make friends with his classmates, however, were in vain: his class had been rapidly taken over by the Duel Monsters craze, and those who didn't duel might as well have crawled under a rock. Not that Seto didn't want to play. He soon fell in love with the exciting, beautifully designed cards, but he couldn't afford a single one, and even if he could have, he would have been ashamed to spend his money on such things instead of his little brother. Watching others play, on the other hand, didn't cost a thing, and so he sometimes joined the students gathering around the card tables, until one day (about a year ago), who knows why, Yugi Muto singled him out as his next opponent, and everything changed.

"_Hey, you! What's your name?" Yugi Muto asked nonchalantly. Seto politely introduced himself. Muto merely gave him a scornful nod._

"_Are you ready to duel me?" he asked point-blank. Seto's eyes flashed, his look self-conscious and his shoulders tense._

"_I don't have a deck."_

"_What? You mean you don't play?"_

_They looked at him like he was insane. Seto flushed slightly, but stood his ground._

"_It would be difficult to duel without a deck," he said, his tone relatively calm._

"_Then why don't we get you a deck right now," said Muto, smirking maliciously. "Somebody take pity on this loser."_

"_Here you go," said Joey Wheeler, waving his deck under Seto's nose like he was throwing a bone to a dog. Seto turned pale in anger._

"_What are you waitin' for? Applause?" Wheeler taunted him. Seto carefully reached for his deck and took it. Wheeler gave him a mock-pat on the head. The others laughed._

"_Good dog. Take real good care of it, now, or I'll mop the floor with ya."_

_And so Seto had no other choice but to sit down and duel Yugi Muto. By the time he took Wheeler's deck, he was surrounded, and he knew by those tense, eager faces that there was going to be no escape until the match was over. To make things worse, those standing around him obviously cheered for Muto: many a student liked Seto because he was quiet and polite and never hurt anyone, but in such company, rooting for the "victim" was not exactly an option._

_Fortunately for Seto, he had no time or energy to pay any attention to them. He knew the rules, but he had never had an actual deck in his hands before and all the cards were unfamiliar to him, and so he focused on their descriptions instead of the faces around him, and once Muto realized that his opponent was inexperienced and didn't know his cards at all, he seized every opportunity to mock him, hoping that would crush him even faster. Seto, however, held on, fighting with all his strength despite his embarrassment, so much so that in the end, he won the duel, if only because one of Wheeler's luck-based cards ended the match in his favor._

_Yugi Muto's astonishment was indescribable when he finally realized he had lost. He stared at the card table glassy-eyed, and then, a student from the "audience" started clapping, the whole group soon joining in to give a round of applause to Seto, who finally straightened in his chair and flashed them a tentative smile. It was the smile of a young man who had so rarely known any sort of glory that he hardly knew what to do with it – he even blushed a little as he looked around at the cheerful faces, and for a single moment, absorbed in his happiness, he even forgot about Yugi Muto… but only for a single moment._

"_THAT'S ENOUGH!" howled Muto all of a sudden, slamming his fist on the table. The applause died down. "Now, everybody get out, and if you dare speak of this to anybody, you are going to pay, is that clear?"_

_ Seto's smile faded away and for a moment, he even pitied him a little: he couldn't understand (how could he) how someone could take losing so hard._

"_I said, everybody out, or you're going home on a broken leg!"_

"_You heard 'im!" said Wheeler, cracking his knuckles. "Beat it!"_

_ It only took a single glance at him and Taylor by his side for the bystanders to understand that it was in their best interest to leave as soon as possible. One by one, they drifted out of the classroom, and finally, Seto, too, pushed his chair back to stand up and gather his things – but the moment he did, he was grabbed and shoved hard against the table. Wheeler twisted his arms back, pinning his head down, and Seto watched helplessly as Muto slowly rose from the table and walked over to his side._

"_Except for you, Seto," he said, his voice low and malevolent. "You stay."_

_He no longer wanted to remember what came afterwards. He wished he could forget that he barely had the strength to get up from the classroom floor, where he lay for what seemed like an eternity, his nose and mouth bleeding, until they finally tired of him and left him alone. He hardly knew how he was able to pull himself together and go to his workplace, where he helped out as an intern through the student job center, but he did because it was his only source of income beside his meager scholarship and he couldn't afford to be absent, even though he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep off his sorrow. Nevertheless, he went, and went for nothing: his supervision took one look at his face and immediately sent him home._

"_Please, I really need this job…" he tried to convince him, but his supervisor (a stout, tough-looking, but otherwise soft-hearted man) was immovable._

"_I know how much it means to you, but I can't allow you to walk around looking like that in front of the clients. I just can't."_

"_Sir, I beg you…"_

"_I said, no."_

_ Seto hung his head, struggling to compose himself on the verge of breaking down. He was in dire need of money because they were running low on everything, especially food, and these odd-jobs were the only thing sometimes that kept their heads above the water. However, his supervisor persevered: he knew that any sign of lenience on his part would be pointless and only prolong their fruitless argument. He only allowed himself one small gesture, feeling sorry for the battered, dejected young man: he walked over to his cabinet and dug out a mandatory first-aid kit._

"_Come here, son."_

_ Seto walked over to him with his head still lowered, fighting back tears._

"_Close your eyes."_

_ He did so, and the next moment, his face was hit with an icy, mordant spray: an alcohol-based disinfectant. It burned his nose and mouth as though he had been doused with acid, and the pain jerked tears from his eyes, drawing streaks across the horrid, rust-colored glaze._

"_It stings like hell, but it'll go away. Just let it dry."_

_ Seto nodded, his lips tightly pursed. The disinfectant coating his cheeks made him seem even paler. His supervisor locked him in a stare, looking into a pair of broken eyes._

"_Go home, son. I expect you on Friday," said the man quietly, and walked him to the door._

_And so he went home, having no other choice, enduring the prying glances of passersby with a deep sense of shame: they made him feel dirty somehow, as though he had been stigmatized. That was one of the worst days of his life. He hardly knew how he would have recovered from the blow he received had it not been for Mokuba. Mokuba was the highlight of the day – Ani-chan's last ray of sunshine._

"_Ani-chan!" his little brother's voice greeted him as he entered, though he crept as silent as a shadow. "I thought you were still at work…" Mokuba continued as he turned around on his bed to look at his older brother, and then stopped as if he had been struck in the face. Seto's cheeks were still coated with the drying disinfectant. Mokuba had never seen him so pitiful and fragile in his life._

"_Ani-chan…!" came his startled cry as he sprung up and rushed over to his brother. Seto carefully set his school bag down, trying to bend as little as possible to spare his sides, and didn't dare look his little brother in the eye as Mokuba took his hand and drew him towards the bed. "Wait here," he said, his voice determined. "I'll be right back."_

_ Mokuba was only gone for a few minutes. He snatched up his glass and ran to the common kitchen, where he opened the freezer and chipped away at the ice-covered surface until his glass was full. While he was away, Seto took off his school uniform and changed into his pajamas: he had a feeling that he wasn't going anywhere else that day, and so he crawled into his bed and buried himself under the covers. His day was officially over, and he wished Mokuba would leave him to himself, too ashamed to tell him that they were going to starve for the next few days and it was all his fault._

"_Ani-chan," came Mokuba's voice from behind his back. "Turn around. …Please."_

_ Seto rolled over to him. His face was still smudged, his blue eyes foggy, and Mokuba poured some ice on his handkerchief, rolling it up and gingerly pressing it to his brother's busted lip. The cold cut him something fierce and Seto hissed in pain, but this time, his pain was mixed with warm, immense gratitude._

_ Mokuba sat by his side well into the evening, nursing his nose and lip with the make-shift compress until the swelling went down and the pain slowly eased. He made his brother tell him everything, knowing that nothing else would relieve his mind, and Seto told him about his duel with Yugi Muto, including all its ill consequences, and finally owned that he was sent home from work even though he would have gladly stayed had his supervisor allowed it. This almost pained him more than anything, knowing that his little brother, too, would suffer with him, but Mokuba told him he didn't care if he starved for a week. All he wanted was for Ani-chan to feel better, and so he spent his anger lampooning Yugi and his cronies in all kinds of nasty and hilarious ways until Seto finally laughed, even though he felt like screaming inside._

_That's how his little brother helped him hold on – that's how he managed to make Ani-chan pull himself together that night, wash the filth of that day off his face and promise he would go to school the next day, despite being downright terrified, and it filled him with such fervent gratitude for Mokuba as he had never felt in his entire life. His little brother, on the other hand, felt it was nothing, wishing he could have done more for him, though it meant the world to Seto that Mokuba stayed with him to the very end, holding his brother's head close even when Ani-chan had long been defeated by exhaustion._

However, from that day forward, nobody challenged him again. Come the next day, Yugi Muto just flat-out ignored him. He did at first entertain the idea of challenging Seto to a rematch and providing him with a different deck, but in the end, he just didn't dare take the risk, knowing that if he were defeated again by someone like_ that_ – someone who didn't even own a single card and probably dueled for the first time in his life, using a deck he had never even seen before –, nobody would be able to take him seriously ever again. He thus decided to play it safe and told his friends to leave Seto alone, saying he didn't have time for nobodies, and so Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor only pestered Seto just as much, or even less, than any other student that crossed their path, because unlike the others, Seto had nothing that would have been worth their trouble.

Seto didn't mind the cold-shoulder treatment: he had enough problems without them. The only true pleasure he could still derive from school was that his teachers appreciated him, being, as he was, oblivious to the fact that, from the moment he stood his ground against Yugi Muto and defeated him at his own game in public, the majority of the students also held him in kind regards. None of them dared show their sympathy, of course, as it would have cost them dearly, but from that day forward, nobody outside Muto's circle teased or bothered Seto ever again. That was all he gained from that fateful duel: the silent calm of exclusion and bragging rights for Mokuba, and that was still something to a young man who hadn't anything else in the world.


	9. Pushing Buttons

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>PUSHING BUTTONS<strong>

Yugi Muto had often wondered if it had been a wise decision to let that duel sink into oblivion. In those days, he sought to erase it from his mind and tried to duel even more aggressively than before, challenging every "known" duelist and crushing them, knowing he could never rest until they were all subdued once again, bullied into that state of fear and awe that he had rightfully earned over the years. He had fought too long and too hard to suffer defeat now: he sometimes felt he had endured enough beatings and bullying to last a lifetime, with no friends or support to help him, because whatever the key to friendship was (the secret, the _magic_), Yugi Muto hadn't found it. He was ridiculously short for his age and never really excelled at anything, and eventually, the raging storms of the years eroded all hope and his longing, too, was washed away. The last straw, however, was when a heavy-weight senior student brutally thrashed him several times because he couldn't pay for his unsolicited services. Yugi Muto swore that day that he would never let anyone best him ever again, and he found his fortune, the base of his strength and power, in the Duel Monsters card game.

Thanks to his grandfather's Game Shop, he soon built one of the strongest decks in the entire school, and once he mastered all the rules with his grandfather's help, all he had to do was test his skills. There was no shortage of opponents to choose from, and Muto defeated every single one of them, dueling as though his life depended on it. After a while, he even earned himself admirers when rumors spread around that he was unbeatable. That was how Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor gradually stopped making fun of him and joined him instead, and once they became Yugi Muto's faithful bodyguards, nobody dared to cross him ever again, because whoever had the nerve to try paid dearly for their insolence.

Eventually, people just stopped challenging him altogether. He could pick and choose his opponents at his leisure, and since he always managed to choose them carefully, he slowly became convinced that things would always be that way, forever and ever… until he challenged Seto and suffered one of the most humiliating defeats of his life. They bullied everyone into silence and beat the sorry, defenseless boy to a pulp, but he couldn't get him out of his mind: it nearly killed him to accept that his defeat was not nearly as humiliating as the fact that he had dug that hole with his own boasts and insults, placing his opponent on a pedestal in the process, because Seto fought and behaved beyond reproach, and when he won and had every reason to laugh at him, his smile betrayed neither scorn nor pride, but mere satisfaction over a game well played. That was why Yugi Muto hated him, and despised himself, too, for being afraid of him… and so he hoped that one day, he would finally be able to erase him from his mind, and the taste of defeat with him.

Just like Yugi Muto, Seto also longed to forget. From that day forward, he went straight home or to work when his classes were over, even if Muto was nowhere to be seen, and while he sometimes missed watching others duel, he felt he never wanted to have a card in his hand again, though it had long been his dream to one day afford a deck of his own. Perhaps it was his absence that helped Muto's anger dissipate with time: Seto was of so little importance to anyone that Muto slowly forgot about him after a while, and once he did, he could finally focus all his attention on getting even more trophies for himself. The student body wouldn't have dreamed of openly discussing Seto's victory, anyway: his injuries were proof enough that Yugi Muto was not to be provoked. They thus stayed silent and mentioned the incident no more, and so Seto and Muto slowly regained their peace of mind and surrendered their memories to oblivion.

Someone still remembered, however, and one day, those memories were dragged back from the void. How else could that new student have learnt about it otherwise?

_ A few weeks ago, a hitherto unseen face appeared in the classroom: a thin, pale, white-haired young man. He adapted to his new environment with stoic complacency, as though he had always belonged there, and after a while, he, too, joined the students as they gathered to watch others duel. On the day in question, he was there again, watching the unfolding match with little more than indifference and boredom. Yugi Muto was winning, and in two turns, he delivered the final blow, leaning back in his seat to feast his eyes on the crowd with a smug look on his face. Only then did he notice that the stranger was now eyeing him openly. There was a hint of malice in his gaze, and Muto didn't like the sight of him._

"_Who are you?" he demanded in a hostile tone._

"_My name is Ryou," replied the stranger in a slight British accent, nonchalant as ever._

"_Do you know who I am?" asked Muto off-handedly._

"_I've heard of you, Yugi Muto. They say you are a decent duelist."_

"_You've heard wrong, because I'm the best there ever was. Do you play?"_

_ Ryou smirked, drawing a deck from his pocket and shuffling his cards with careless elegance._

"_Let's duel, Ryou," said Muto, eager to rip him apart. "Show me what you've got."_

"_Oh, please," purred Ryou. "I would never waste my precious time on someone who has long been unworthy of their reputation."_

_ The shock rendered Yugi Muto speechless, his face convulsing as though he had been struck. The students around them suddenly began talking in hushed voices, all eyes fixed on him and the tension thick as fog, nearly suffocating him as Ryou laughed and stalked away, leaving Muto frozen and trembling with rage. He didn't linger in his seat for long, though. He left Wheeler and Taylor in the classroom and stormed out to teach the insolent brat a lesson._

_ He caught up with Ryou in the schoolyard, but before he could reach him, Ryou spun around to face him and planted his feet. His eyes burned with a malicious glow, and Muto stopped a few feet away, staring his opponent down fiercely._

"_What did you say about me, you no-count fool?" he shouted into the silence of the schoolyard. Ryou snickered._

"_I said you weren't a worthy opponent."_

"_Just who do you think you are? Nobody is better than me in this whole godforsaken school! Everybody knows I'm the king of this game!"_

"_Not anymore, Yugi Muto," came the stoic reply. "That title has long been taken from you."_

"_What are you talking about, you idiot?"_

"_I'm talking about an amateur who couldn't even afford to eat, let alone buy Duel Monsters cards, and yet he defeated you in his very first duel with your own friend's pathetic deck."_

_ Muto's blood curdled. Ryou laughed._

"_That's right. I've heard all about it. Don't ask where from: they were so insignificant that I would not have bothered to remember their name anyway. Ah, but the one who so utterly humiliated you – his name is Seto, correct? Interesting name. And so much better suited for the King of Duel Monsters."_

"_Seto is a nobody!" howled Yugi Muto, completely beside himself. "He got lucky, that's all! There is no other explanation!"_

"_Wrong. Luck is the residue of design. You met your match that day and failed, Yugi Muto, and the whole world knows it, even if they choose to cower in silence like the maggots that they are, and I refuse to challenge someone like you, because it would be an affront to _my_ good name, so I shall go and find Seto instead and challenge the _real_ champion…"_

"_No, you won't! I won't let you!"_

"_And just how are you planning to stop me? If you lay even one finger on me, you will only prove my every point. Only a spineless dog resorts to violence if he cannot possibly win otherwise…"_

"_Nobody calls me a spineless dog! I'll show you, you filth: I will challenge him to a duel and defeat him right in front of you, and when I do, you will have no choice but to face me, and then I'll teach you some respect."_

"_I wouldn't even take breathing lessons from you, let alone lessons in respect, but as you wish, Yugi Muto. I am free this Saturday anyway and have nothing better to do. What do you say to the schoolyard at three o'clock in the afternoon?"_

"_I'll be there!"_

"_Well then, I had better find Seto and inform him that his presence will be required…"_

"_You will do no such thing! I'm tell him myself. You stay away from him! These are my terms!"_

"_Very well. Then _my_ terms are that you are not to lay a finger on him until the duel is over, because that would be simply unfair…" smirked Ryou. "I don't care what you do with him if he loses, but if he wins, then I want to challenge him in mint condition."_

_ Muto snarled but gave his word._

"_Oh, and one more thing. If he doesn't have a deck, I will lend him mine," said Ryou with a sly sneer. "Seto probably won't care what he'll use to humiliate you again, anyway…"_

"You alright, Yug?" asked Wheeler, and Muto finally snapped out of his stupor. He couldn't get that conversation out of his head: it lingered on with a bitter taste of bile.

"I'm fine," he growled. _My hands are tied, Seto, but just you wait,_ he thought to himself, _when I'm through with you this Saturday, it will make last year's share seem gentle in comparison._


	10. Inside the Nutshell

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>INSIDE THE NUTSHELL<strong>

As soon as Mokuba finished his fruit juice, Kaiba rose and walked to the counter to pay for their drinks. His little brother quickly gathered the photocopies, sweeping them into the folder, and the brothers left the café to hail a taxi. Within ten minutes, they arrived in front of the dorm, and once they paid for their fare, Kaiba drew his little brother behind him.

"Hide behind me and try to be quiet," he told him as he began to walk slowly towards the entrance. Mokuba thought the request odd, but obediently ducked behind the tails of Kaiba's trench coat and tiptoed silently after his Nii-sama, who was already busy fabricating a fitting alibi.

"Seto?" the receptionist called to him when he entered the entrance hall. Kaiba's face flinched a little at the sound of his name, but he forced himself to stay calm and proceeded to the glass window of the booth.

"Good day," he replied, leaning forward slightly to cover for his little brother, who crouched down by the wall of the booth and carefully slunk towards the stairway.

"Hello there. I hardly recognized you in that coat… How come you aren't at school?"

"I was," replied Kaiba without missing a beat. The lie left a bitter grimace in the corner of his mouth, but he fortified himself and the grimace was soon smoothed away. "I noticed during break that I was missing my keys, and I just had to come back and check if I've left them in my room or lost them on the way."

"Oh, I see. Yes, yes, it would be bad if you lost your keys. I'll get you a spare in a minute."

"Thank you."

He was soon presented a spare key, the room number inscribed upon the tag. Kaiba took it with a grateful sigh, finally feeling another step closer to learning the truth.

"If you manage to find your keys, please bring the spare key back to me," said the receptionist as he scribbled a few words in his notebook. "If you can't find me, just put it in the central mailbox."

"Thank you. I will," replied Kaiba.

"Oh, and I almost forgot!" the receptionist called after him. "You have a letter."

Kaiba stopped in his tracks, looking puzzled, but luckily, he soon noted the mailboxes lined up on the wall and thanks to the key tag, he quickly found his own. What was sticking out of it wasn't so much a letter as a piece of paper, a message scribbled in its folds:

_Tomorrow's your last day, you worthless mutt, and no deck in the world can save you now. Come to the school yard tomorrow at three in the afternoon. We'll be waiting. Don't even try to get out of this, because we're going to find you anyway and it's harder to duel with a broken hand._

_ Y. M._

_ J. W._

_ T. T._

_What on earth is this?_ screamed his mind._ Who could be foolish enough to threaten _me? _Unless… unless I'm even more of a loser than I thought._

At this point, Mokuba had no choice but to hiss at his brother, because all he could see was Nii-sama's hand clenching around the key, trembling like he was ready to spill blood at any second. Fortunately, Kaiba understood and quickly left the entrance hall, and once he was certain that the receptionist could no longer see him, he stormed to the stairway and ran all the way to the second floor, his little brother wheezing behind him.

"What's wrong, Nii-sama?" asked Mokuba the moment they reached the top. Kaiba shot a murderous glare at the sheet clenched in his other fist, and then tossed it to his little brother like it was filth that decent people wouldn't be caught dead laying their hands on.

"Somebody wants to duel me, Mokuba," he snarled, and then broke into a cruel smile that gave Mokuba goose bumps. "And something tells me that someone is going to be very short-lived."

They soon found the room, and after making sure that there was nobody around, they knocked carefully on the door, but all was silent on the other side, and so Kaiba tried the lock and slowly turned the key. Two clicks and the door was open, and after a few moments of hesitation, the two brothers stepped through the threshold as though their worst fears awaited them therein. They hardly knew what they expected to find. _Not this_, thought Kaiba as he shut the door behind his little brother and they finally looked around that small room.

Two beds with thin, hand-mended bed-linen. Two small nightstands. A worn but orderly writing desk, a built-in closet and two shelves laden with second-hand textbooks. That was it. And yet, the two brothers desperately wanted to believe that this just _couldn't_ be it. They exchanged glances – Kaiba's eyes flashed, Mokuba nodded –, and both started tentatively towards the beds of their respective counterparts.

Mokuba was led there by one of the nightstands. There rested a small toy plane, _his_ toy plane: a memento from the orphanage, and perhaps the only personal thing Mokuba had, because all he found in the drawer was a container of ointment for muscle pain, and the space below was filled to the brim with used, dog-eared textbooks because their owner just couldn't reach the shelves on the wall. It was so terribly little that Mokuba even peered under the bed, hoping to find something, anything… and he finally spotted a cardboard box stashed into the uppermost corner of the bed. It was full of small bits of cardboard that two small hands carefully cut to size, lined with a ruler and then painstakingly illustrated and colored so Seto could finally have his own Duel Monsters deck, and though Mokuba knew he held nothing but a bunch of useless cards with shaky letters and amateur doodles, his throat felt very tight, knowing that he, too, had drawn something like this once, just once, to make his Nii-sama happy. In the end, he couldn't resist looking at all twenty-two of those cards, in awe at his counterpart's hard work and effort, and after wiping his eyes, he took the box and slipped it carefully, almost tenderly, back to the corner in which he found it.

Kaiba didn't see it. Unlike his little brother, he first stopped by the shelves to inspect the books, soon realizing that Seto may have had a myriad used textbooks, but he did not own a single novel, album or personal purchase, though he scanned all the titles twice. He was about to give up and turn away when he spotted the only thing of interest on the bottom shelf: a bunch of colorful pebbles in the far end, lying on top of two sheets of paper held together with duct tape. Kaiba first thought it was some sort of bizarre decoration, but when he brushed the pebbles aside and folded the bound sheets open, his heart gave a leap. He was holding a chess board, painted with tempera, and on a closer look, he saw that the pebbles were painted on, too, the different pieces marked with small black and white symbols. He let out a sharp sigh and quickly put the board back, gathering the cool, smooth pebbles and letting them roll back onto the paper from his grasp. He had only seen a makeshift chess set once, from lines in the earth and ammo cartridges, but this was almost worse, though what he saw next pained him even more. Beside the bed, hung upon the wall, was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon poster: an old and wrinkled (_he must have found it that way, he would have never done such a thing_) and flat-pressed (_how long could it have taken him to smooth it out?_) Blue-Eyes White Dragon poster. It was a crummy, out-of-date promotional poster, worthless garbage, but to Seto, it was still a treasure… perhaps his only treasure beside Mokuba. He gingerly smoothed a hand over the paper body of that worn dragon. It felt as though his fingers had traced a thousand tiny scars. His hand clenched and he tore his eyes away for it. His head and heart were swimming.

He fled from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the built-in closet, but it was no use: all that awaited him beyond the open door were clothes, two pairs of winter shoes and some laundry detergent. Still, he stayed and looked through what little clothes the brothers had with growing despondence: six t-shirts, five shirts, three jumpers and four pairs of trousers all together (he was unconsciously grateful that the numbers were all in Mokuba's favor). Everything was clean but threadbare, with stitches on the elbows, and all Kaiba could think of was how enduring Gozaburo Kaiba was worth it so Mokuba wouldn't have to grow up this way. He didn't even notice his little brother sneaking over to him to stare at the scant wardrobe. Unlike him, Mokuba was more sorry that Seto had so little, having given everything he had to his little brother – everything in the world. He wiped his eyes and nestled to his Nii-sama's side. Seto kneeled down, gently drawing him into his embrace, and Mokuba silently let his tears fall against his brother's shoulder.

As the brothers mourned for their counterparts in that miserable dorm room, Yugi and his friends returned to the city center. They soon arrived at Kaiba Corp headquarters, and after some deliberation, Téa was chosen to be their ambassador, charged with the honorable task of speaking to the cold, wary receptionist.

"Good day," said Téa, standing tall and elegant. "We would like to speak with Mr. Kaiba."

"I'm sorry, but Gozaburo Kaiba is not receiving anyone today," stated the receptionist. Téa's eyes went wide. The others broke into whispers behind her.

"Did you say _Gozaburo_ Kaiba?" she asked back. The receptionist nodded. "I would like to speak with his… his son."

"Noah Kaiba is currently abroad and will only be available the week after next week."

"But I thought he had another, um, another two sons…"

"You thought wrong," replied the receptionist in a tone that left no room for objection. "If you would like an appointment, call in advance, and now I must ask you to leave."

Reluctant as they were, they left the building, and soon enough, they were gathering in the same small square where Seto Kaiba realized that _he _might never have existed in this world at all. Yugi kept glancing back at the main building, his spirits low. First they ran into enemies and then lost track of the Kaiba brothers for good: they had run out of options and were even more helpless now than before. There was nothing else to do but search the city and find Kaiba as soon as possible, and Yugi wouldn't have cared if Kaiba still refused to cooperate, just so long as he got to see him safe and sound, and Mokuba with him.


	11. Once a Boss, Always a Boss

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>ONCE A BOSS, ALWAYS A BOSS<strong>

It took a while before Mokuba finally calmed down and his tears ebbed away. Kaiba was determined not to show his feelings, but it pained him more and more to think that Seto applied for that scholarship in hopes of a better life, only to find himself and his little brother sinking into abject poverty. He could only have one reason to accept these terms: to become independent instead of wasting away at the orphanage with Mokuba, bound in place and time till he would be of age, and Kaiba imagined he would have done the same, had this been the only choice he had. But that did not make the idea more tolerable. It was almost unbearable by now, and Kaiba would have given anything in the world to be able to hate his counterpart and detest him for proving unable to escape this misery, but he could not. It was obvious that Seto still gave his little brother every possible comfort, and held on, though life had denied him everything… and Kaiba found he just couldn't get the image of that tortured, _humiliated _Blue-Eyes White Dragon out of his mind.

His little brother kept sniffling and sounded like he got the hiccups, too, so Kaiba disentangled himself and stepped to the tiny sink by the door to pour him a glass of water. Mokuba drank it in slow sips and then they washed the empty glass, and Kaiba found him a clean handkerchief to wipe his face.

"What are we going to do now, Nii-sama?" asked Mokuba when he was finally able to speak. Kaiba didn't answer him right away. Instead, he settled down on Seto's bed and picked up the letter that had so infuriated him earlier. He smoothed it out and checked the signatures again: _Y.M., J.W., T.T._. Those initials were all too familiar…

"Mokuba? Do you think there's a chance that the local dweeb patrol is rotten to the core?"

"Nii-sama, if there's a world where you're not the boss, then anything's possible," replied Mokuba without missing a beat, to Kaiba's infinite satisfaction. "Why do you ask?"

"Because the initials would fit. Y. M.? J. W.…? It _has_ to be them, I'm sure of it," he said, holding out the letter to his little brother. Mokuba briefly considered it and had to admit his brother's suspicions were justified. Kaiba gave him a sour smirk in response.

"I still don't get it, Nii-sama," said Mokuba after a short while. "This Seto can't even afford clothes, let alone Duel Monsters cards. Why would they want to _duel_ him?"

"That's just it, Mokuba – there _has_ to be more at stake than just a duel. It's a trap, and Seto is in danger."

"What do you think they want to do to him?"

"I don't know, but I do know that I'm going to prevent it," Kaiba said resolutely.

"Do you have a plan, Nii-sama?"

Kaiba's face turned from sour to sinister, a cruel little smile in the corner of his lips.

"Yes, Mokuba. We're going to eliminate the competition… one way or another."

The goal was now clear: the only question was where to start. First things first, Kaiba needed to think it over, so he stepped to the writing desk and searched the drawers, hoping he would find some paper, and eventually found a clean stack in the largest drawer, right next to a tied binder. Kaiba took some empty sheets, placing them on the desk, and after a moment of hesitation, he decided to indulge his curiosity and lifted out the binder as well.

He initially thought it an album or a journal of sorts, sealed not with a lock, but with a string of linen tied neatly in a bow. As he carefully loosened the knot, he expected (_hoped for_) photographs, or at least a moment's insight into this small, near-nothing life, where he saw no progress or prospects, just a shattered dream on the wall… until he opened the binder and his breath was snatched away. His eyes grew wide, speechless as he flipped through the pages within, and slowly, he moved to Seto's bed and sat down to go through his notes at his leisure. Mokuba stared at him, his eyes large, and tried to sneak a peek at the contents of the binder, but his brother only held it closer to himself, and neither heard nor saw until he had seen every single page.

"What did you find, Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked excitedly when Seto looked up from the binder at last. A strange glow burned in his brother's eyes, as though he had seen the light.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked, flaunting the thick binder to his little brother. Mokuba had no idea, and when Kaiba told him, his little brother stared at him in awe.

"Are you serious, Nii-sama?"

"Yes. And it's nearly perfect. All it's missing is a few minor details, and if you give me fifteen minutes, I'll fill them in right here."

"You mean you're going to finish it for him?"

"Are you against it?"

"No…" hesitated Mokuba. "If it's just a few details, then no."

"Trust me, Mokuba. I don't know how long he's been working on this, but he is almost at the finish line. He is _this_ close to having a better life, and we are going to help him."

"But what can we do, Nii-sama?"

"Whatever we want, Mokuba. We might no longer have Kaiba Corp to back us up, but it doesn't matter. There is still a chance. We just have to be smart."

"If you say so…"

"I say so. And who's the boss?"

"You're the boss," said Mokuba, finally cracking a smile as Kaiba's resolve slowly but surely took hold of him, too. "And what should _I_ do, Nii-sama?"

"Hand me those empty sheets and then find me a phonebook."

"What do you need?"

"The address and phone number of the nearest locksmith. And decide where we should go for lunch because we can't stay here for much longer."

"Then why don't you just give me the key and I'll take it to the locksmith right away."

"Alright. But be careful and don't let the receptionist see you. I have enough problems lying for one person."

"I'll do my best, Nii-sama," Mokuba said eagerly, carefully slipping the spare key in his pocket and taking the empty sheets Kaiba had left on the table to place them within easy reach on the bed. "Anything else?"

"That's all for now." Kaiba then drew a pen from his pocket, scribbling a few lines on an empty sheet. "There's one more thing, but you'll need me for that. Hurry back, alright?"

"I'll be back soon!" promised Mokuba as he rushed out the door to do as he was told. Kaiba glanced after him, a content smile on his face, and opening the binder, he slowly began writing, amending the pages and occasionally adding one of his own. _Things will be better soon… I promise_, he thought to himself, hoping he would be right in the end.

His little brother was true to his word and returned in twenty minutes. While Kaiba was revising Seto's notes and formulating his own plan, Mokuba found a phonebook in the hall and looked up the nearest locksmith, and since it was only a five-minute walk, he left on foot, constantly eyeing the shops on his quest for lunch. In the end, he couldn't find a single place he actually wanted to go to, but eventually came up with a reasonable solution: once he received the new key, he stopped by a nice-looking sandwich bar and soon snuck back into the dorm, a paper bag under his arm and a paper cup holder in his hand.

"I thought we were going out," said Kaiba, a hint of disappointment in his voice when he saw his little brother's purchase.

"We're going out to the park, Nii-sama," said Mokuba, plain and simple. "You need some fresh air, anyway."

"If you say so…" Kaiba replied flatly.

"I say so. And who's the boss?"

"_I'm_ the boss."

"Then what am I?"

"The boss's little brother," replied Kaiba, eyeing the paper bag. "What did you bring me?"

"Double roast beef and green salad sandwich with a dab of mustard on whole grain bread, and a small packet of seasoned olive oil," came Mokuba's ready reply. "If you scrap the bread, you could even eat it as a salad."

"Consider yourself promoted: you're the boss's _favorite_ little brother. Now let's go before the receptionist gets suspicious. If I were him, I would have demanded that spare key back ages ago."

"Are we taking the binder, too?"

"Yes. I wanted to leave it here, but we're not taking any chances: this one thing could make all the difference, after all. Come on, Mokuba. I'm starving and I could use some coffee, too."

"Maybe there are some cafés around here."

"Then we're going to go look for one," replied Kaiba, and once they gathered everything they needed, they locked the door.

"Nii-sama?" spoke Mokuba as they headed out. "Does promotion come with dessert?"

"If you brought me a tasty sandwich, it will," came his Nii-sama's reply, and Mokuba followed him cheerfully into the stairway, carefully slipping out while Kaiba returned the spare key and placed the letter back into the mailbox for now.

A few minutes later, they settled down on a sunlit bench, choosing a spot where they were more or less hidden from passersby in case their counterparts decided to come home in the meantime. Mokuba opened the paper bag, neatly setting out everything between them, and then handed Nii-sama a sealed cup of orange juice and bid him _bon appetit_. Kaiba took a bite of his sandwich and approved of it. Mokuba gave him a cheerful grin.

"What are we doing after dessert?" he asked, his mouth full.

"What dessert…?"

"_Seto!_"

"_I was joking_, Mokuba. After dessert, we'll go to an Internet café, and if all goes well, we're also going to find a second-hand clothes shop."

"…Come again?"

"You heard me. If I want to act as my counterpart, I'll need to change clothes for a while. I'm surprised the receptionist didn't get suspicious: how many students walk around wearing expensive designer leather coats? If I were his boss, I would have had to fire him ages ago."

"You should be glad he didn't get suspicious."

"I _am_ glad. I simply wanted to make it clear that he wouldn't last a day at my company."

"Let's get back to that second-hand clothes shop, Nii-sama."

"We're going to get me some cheap clothes for appearances' sake, and then we'll stash my good clothes somewhere."

"Where?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe we'd be better off booking a room somewhere. Who knows how long we'll be stuck here. That's going to be your job: as soon as we have online access, I want you to find some cheap accommodations around here and book a room over the phone."

"Did I hear you say _cheap_ accommodations, Nii-sama?"

"You did. I wouldn't say that under normal circumstances, but I have a good reason this time: we might need our money, so I don't want to waste it because my checkbook is invalid and we have nothing else to fall back on. It's just for one or two nights, anyway."

"Alright – leave it to me. But if we do manage to do all these things, _then_ what?"

"Then I'm going to go to the local headquarters of Industrial Illusions, and I'm going to make Pegasus an offer that he would be a fool to refuse."


	12. Serendipity

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>SERENDIPITY<strong>

Seto and Mokuba did not go home that day. They spent the afternoon by one of the fountains on the main shopping promenade, where Mokuba lay on the sunlit fountain ledge, writing homework, while Seto stood a few feet away with a handful of fliers. It was a boring job and the pay was pitiful, but he didn't mind. No student job was beneath him when he thought of his little brother, and at least distributing fliers required little mental effort, allowing Seto to meditate and daydream as he handed them out to passersby. His little brother always accompanied him, no matter how horrible the weather was: he entertained his Ani-chan when the hours dragged on too long, and also watched his schoolbag for him so it wouldn't weigh him down when he had so much on his shoulders as it were.

Seto watched people drift by and offered them the fliers with a sense of placid equanimity. Whether they would take one or not made no difference anymore: the weekend was close at last. For most students, the weekend promised forty-eight hours of pleasure. For Seto and Mokuba, it bore a more modest version of said promise: they could lie in on Saturday and Sunday morning for as long as they liked, and then they would have the whole city at their disposal, or at least the places that were free – the park, the promenades and the library. Seto often chose the latter when inspiration struck or the weather was bad, and Mokuba could not care less so long as it made Ani-chan happy: he took just as much pleasure in taking a stroll in the park with him as he did going about in the library, looking for Duel Monsters handbooks while Seto buried his head in complex technical tomes, scribbling unfamiliar formulas on the copy paper he got from school.

Mokuba did not know what his brother was planning. Seto didn't dare tell him until he could be sure that his designs were viable, and so they did their best not to mention it between themselves. But, perhaps, it was just as well. Mokuba had secrets, too, and he had to admit that there was something enchanting about this mysterious project. Sweet hope emanated from it, and Mokuba drank it in blindly and gladly: the very idea that one day, this secret might change his life for the better was nothing short of wonderful. Whenever he thought about it, nothing could spoil his good mood – not even cold wind or algebra.

And then Seto suddenly flinched as though he were feeling faint. A few fliers escaped his grasp, landing on the pavement with a loud smack. Mokuba quickly looked up. His brother knelt down on the pavement, fumbling around to gather the scattered sheets, and so he sprung up and hurried over to help him.

"What's the matter, Ani-chan?" he asked when he saw that Seto had turned a little pale.

"Nothing. Nothing, really," his brother fibbed, but Mokuba was already scanning the horizon hoping he would find the answer, and almost immediately spotted a smaller group heading right towards them. There was no mistaking that hair. When he tried to cheer up Ani-chan, he said that Yugi's hair looked like a blind painter had used it as a brush before jamming it into a power socket. He saw several students by his side: _probably his friends_, thought Mokuba, finally grasping why Seto had become so anxious.

"Mokuba," his brother said, his voice low. Mokuba narrowed his eyes. "Take your bag and go inside one of the shops. You'll be safe there."

"But what about you?" asked Mokuba, sounding anxious.

"I can't leave because my shift is not over yet. Just go!"

"I'm not leaving you, Ani-chan," said Mokuba, folding his arms over his chest. Pleading with him was in vain: he was obstinate and would not budge. Seto stood up, his heart lodged in his throat, and all he could think of was that if he proved powerless to protect his little brother, he would not forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Just this once, however, fortunate decided to smile on Seto. The group approaching them was the "real" Yugi and his friends, who had been out and about the city all day looking for the Kaiba brothers, without success, though they had tried everything, combing the entire city center together and separately, and then standing watch at the gate of the park at Yugi's suggestion in case the brothers return, considering how, just like the four of them, they no longer hard anywhere else to go. However, time wore on, afternoon rolled around, and they could not find the Kaiba brothers, nor a solution to the counterpart problem, and so they passed through here with one goal in mind: to find a place where they could dine in peace and decide how to proceed. Everyone was thus looking left or right, searching for a good place to sit down, and if Yugi hadn't suddenly turned his head to the middle, they might have passed Seto without even noticing him.

"Hey, isn't that Kaiba?" asked Yugi, and the others stopped in their tracks some thirty feet away from the brothers. They wouldn't have known them by their ordinary streets clothes and the strange glares they shot at them, but their hair and faces gave them away. Yugi started towards them, the others running after him, and Seto awaited them with his jaws clenched. If he could not escape his fate, he at least tried to be brave and stare it in the eye.

"Kaiba! I'm so glad to see you!" Yugi greeted him in relief when they all caught up to him. Seto stared at him wide-eyed and then glanced behind his back, turning his head back to Yugi when he realized that the greeting was, indeed, addressed to him.

"I didn't even recognize you at first! Why are you dressed like that, Kaiba?" asked Yugi, a puzzled smile on his face, adding to Seto's utter confusion. In the end, it was Mokuba who answered him, his tone harder than they had ever heard him speak.

"Just who do you think you're calling Kaiba?" he demanded sharply, and Seto finally snapped out of his shock. He quickly stepped in front of his little brother and gently but firmly pulled him to his back. This was the final proof, and Tristan shook Yugi's shoulder.

"Yugi, it's not them! They must be the Kaibas who live here and the real Kaiba must till be in the city somewhere with Mokuba."

That was the final straw for Seto. He straightened himself (his only comfort being that he was taller than anyone in their party, and thus felt less vulnerable standing up to them), and joined the conversation as well.

"If you want something, then say it and go," he said, tough by his own standards but so soft compared to the "real" Kaiba that Joey couldn't help but whistle at him in awe.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to be rude," Yugi spoke again when he realized what an awkward mess he made of the situation. "We are looking for a friend (Joey audibly snorted), who looks just like you."

Seto and Mokuba exchanged glances. Seto's eyes were troubled and apprehensive, but Mokuba's flashed angrily, his hands clenching into fists as he faced the gang and cut in front of his brother.

"Why don't you just spit out what you want, already?" he snapped, letting lose the anger that had been festering in him ever since Ani-chan came home with tears in his eyes and blood on his lips almost a year ago. "I've been waiting for this, so come on, I'm not scared of you!"

Yugi and his friends were utterly shocked by Mokuba's words (though none of them were quite as scared as Seto), and couldn't even budge when Mokuba started towards them – or at least he would have, had Seto not caught him and pulled him back at the last minute.

"Enough, Mokuba!" he cried and his little brother stopped kicking. Seto held him close as though his life depended on it, pushing him behind his back again, and this time, he did not let go of his arm.

"I don't care what you want from me, but leave my brother out of it!" he said, half fierce, half pleading. Mokuba peered out from behind him alarmed. It seemed he hadn't given up on protecting his brother yet, and so he waited with his fists still clenched. Luckily, Téa decided to salvage the situation: she stepped in front of them and took matters into her own hands.

"We don't want to hurt you," she began, and Yugi, Joey and Tristan nodded in unison to support her. Seto still eyed them with suspicion, but not wanting to be rude, he did his best to focus on Téa while Mokuba kept a close watch on the others. "We are not who you think we are. It's hard to explain, but basically, we are not the four students you know. We come from somewhere else."

"What do you mean?" asked Seto, his tone wary.

"We are from… another dimension, " said Téa, knowing there was no point beating about the bush. Seto quirked an eyebrow.

"You cannot expect me to believe that," he replied calmly, his voice cool. Joey cracked a smile. He was almost beginning to miss Kaiba's skepticism.

"How can I convince you that I'm telling the truth? Or better yet, how can I convince you that we are your friends and we mean no harm?"

Seto's eyes flashed self-consciously: he had no idea what to tell her, and in the end, Mokuba was the one to break the silence, not him.

"What's that on your arm?" he asked Joey. Joey and Seto turned their heads at the same time: Mokuba meant the never-before-seen duel disk, of course. Seto's eyes widened.

"Oh, you mean this? " asked Joey, holding up the contraption, which immediately set itself on stand-by. "It's my duel disk. "

Seto's face was burning by now. The fliers slipped from his numb hands and fell to the ground in a single stack. Seto didn't even notice.

"May I see it?" he asked, his voice faltering.

"Sure," said Joey, detaching the disk from his arm and handing it to Seto, who carefully took it (running a nervous hand through his hair, as if he were trying to brush off a bad memory), and turned the device about in his hands bewildered.

"Ani-chan?" Mokuba spoke to him alarmed. The others stared in shock. Joey could hardly believe what he had just heard.

"Who designed this?" asked Seto, looking so anguished it nearly broke Téa's heart, who had never seen Seto Kaiba so truly and utterly human. Seto's eyes shone like broken glass: he had been designing a machine just like this one, for one and a half years now, ever since he had first seen the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the poster of a game shop and wished there were a way he could bring it to life, so beautiful beyond anything he had ever known.

"Our friend, the one we mistook you for, " replied Yugi. "His name is Seto Kaiba. "


	13. From Riches to Rags

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>FROM RICHES TO RAGS<strong>

Not long after they had finished their lunches, Kaiba and Mokuba cut across the park in front of the dorm, and after careful consideration, they picked the most attractive café in the neighborhood and settled down on the patio. Kaiba sipped away at an espresso and Mokuba got his dessert: a small bowl of chocolate mousse, and a cup of decaf for the taste.

"How is it?" Kaiba asked out of habit as he organized his notes.

"Very nice," came Mokuba's cheerful reply. "You want some?"

"No. It's probably too sweet, anyway."

"What do you have against sweet, Nii-sama?"

"Nothing. I just don't eat it, that's all."

"Maybe if you ate more sweets, you would be in a better mood."

"I don't eat sweets as it is, let alone 'more'."

"And that's why you never smile."

"I smile."

"_Really?_ And what's _that_ like…?"

"…Do you want to eat sweets next month?"

"…I'll be good."

"Then be good and eat your bonus. We've got work to do."

Mokuba did so with gusto, and soon they left the café for an Internet café, where they quickly occupied two neighboring computers and the search began. Mokuba, in charge of finding accommodation, started browsing for cheap motels and hostels. He nicked an empty sheet from his Nii-sama, noting down prices, telephone numbers and addresses, and once he was done, he asked the owner for permission to use the phone and called the lucky winner. In the meantime, Kaiba visited the Industrial Illusions homepage to do some research on their business activities, and was relieved to find that Pegasus had not yet committed himself to any one company. He merely entered into temporary contracts with a few choice corporations, and according to the local homepage, he was currently visiting Domino City on a promotional tour. Kaiba's mood improved considerably: he was convinced that none of those companies could compete with the product _he _offered, and with just a little luck, he might even get to talk to Pegasus directly; _who needs sweets,_ he thought, _when victory is the sweetest thing of all?_ He then ended his session by looking up the addresses of nearby second-hand clothes shops and jotting them down. He never thought he would ever willingly go to a place like that as his little brother was about to book a cheap two-bed motel room for the night, but at that moment, even that seemed exciting. After all, it was also part of the game…

And so, within half an hour, they found themselves in the most popular second-hand clothes store in the city center, staring at the stock of the warehouse-size outlet in awe. It almost made Kaiba nervous; he had switched to shopping online years ago, and when they did go to some major clothes store, they shopped for Mokuba, not him. His little brother didn't mind that it would be the other way around this time. He was curious to see what Nii-sama would make of this selection, and secretly enjoyed the idea that they had come as two ordinary teenagers rather than the owners of Kaiba Corp, as they had first checked out the motel, paid for the room, and then left everything there, including Kaiba's eye-catching trench coat, metal arm guards and sleeve belts, since all of them would have just been in the way. He was now in plain black, and as he stood there pondering his choices, he seemed younger and somehow more natural than usual. In the end, Mokuba couldn't help himself: he chuckled at his brother's awkwardness and dragged him towards the suits with a cheerful grin on his face.

"What are you waiting for, Nii-sama?" he teased him. "Pick something!"

Kaiba skimmed through the first rack without a word, lifted some suits onto his arms, and the try-ons began.

"I like this one."

"I don't know…" said Kaiba as he held a blue suit to his chest and checked himself in the mirror. Mokuba, having volunteered to be his clothes-rack, had about half a dozen suits gathered on his arms by now, but his brother wasn't satisfied with any of them. They even took a short break and browsed for some simple street clothes for next day's duel, but Kaiba still couldn't make up his mind.

"You're too picky, Nii-sama," Mokuba remarked wearily when he saw that he could not persuade him.

"I just want to make a good impression, and considering what I have to work with, that is no small task. I need something that speaks for itself."

"You are going to speak for yourself, not your suit."

"Easy to say for someone who's vice president and still runs around in striped shirts and a down vest. Maybe I should finally extend the company dress code to you, too…"

"I would resign that very minute."

"Wrong: you would put on a suit that very minute without a word, because I'm the boss."

Mokuba stuck out his tongue and watched tiredly as another suit was dropped onto his lap because it wasn't 'the right one'. Given the choice now, he would have gladly left Kaiba to himself to take a stroll through the store… and suddenly, he found a reason. He spotted a familiar face, not too far away: it was Téa. Kaiba was so immersed in thought that he didn't notice her at all, and so Mokuba carefully laid down the suits and walked over to her.

"Hi, Téa!" he said, and was greeted by an odd, almost hostile look in her eyes.

"Who are you?" asked Téa, her voice cool and reserved. Mokuba blinked self-consciously at first, but soon remembered that this might be the Téa that lives here, her tone and her manners being so alien from the girl he knew. _Maybe we've never even met in this world_, he thought to himself, staring at her black-skirt and vivid, colorful clothes.

"I'm Seto's brother," he replied, unsure what else to say.

"And who might that be?"

"That would be me," came Kaiba's voice from behind them. Mokuba thought he had slipped away unseen, but his brother picked up his every little move, joining the conversation just in time. Téa looked him up and down, her eyebrows slightly quirked, and her eyes sparked and narrowed with a faint glimpse of recognition.

"You're that poor kid," she said nonchalantly, though her eyes were bright. "The one who beat Yugi Muto."

Mokuba and Kaiba exchanged glances.

"I am," replied Kaiba, instinctively straightening himself. Téa's eyes lingered on him with a lazy glance. There was a hint of a playful smile on her lips.

"I've never seen you in decent clothes before," she said, eyeing Kaiba's tight black shirt with approval. She could easily tell it didn't come out of this store. "Where did you get this?"

"I shop smart. I got lucky."

A moment of silence. Téa locked him in a stare, her look almost provocative.

"Are you really broke?"

"I don't have as much as I need," Kaiba said, plain and simple. Téa stepped closer to him, almost uncomfortably close; he could smell the scent of menthol cigarettes and a slight hint of perfume.

"Pity. You wouldn't be half bad."

At this point, Mokuba mock-coughed, his patience growing thin. Téa was almost surprised he was still there. Kaiba's cheeks flushed lightly.

"Is something wrong…?"

"Seto is busy," said Mokuba. "Right, Seto?" He then stepped between them without another word and pushed at his brother to force him back towards the suit section. Téa laughed.

"What's the rush?" she teased, sounding amused.

"He's buying a suit for an important meeting!" said Mokuba, elbowing Kaiba in the stomach to force him to move.

"Aww, he's so possessive!" laughed Téa. "Don't worry, I don't start with anyone who's down on their luck. Find me when you're better off…" she said cheerfully, and gave Seto one more good look and a smirk before she walked off towards the far end of the store to browse for skirts. Kaiba stared after her, looking as though he could not believe his ears, but then he received another jab and this one finally got his attention.

"Will you stop that?" he snapped at his brother.

"You only have yourself to blame," retorted Mokuba with his arms folded over his chest. "Why were you flirting when you have work to do?"

"Who, _me?_ _You_ started it! _You went over to her!_" Kaiba hissed beside himself.

"Yes, but I didn't invite you," replied Mokuba with such cheek that Kaiba didn't even know what to say. "Now pick a suit, Nii-sama, or I swear I'm going home."

Having no desire to argue with Mokuba, Kaiba resumed his try-ons and the search for the perfect suit continued, until he finally found what he was looking for: a high-collar white suit, complete with golden trim. It was old, but clean and in reasonably good condition, and most importantly, it attracted people's attention, something that both Kaiba and Pegasus considered essential. Even Téa took a moment to admire him from the other side; anyone may window-shop, after all, even if they don't happen to be buying anything…


	14. How to Train Your Kaiba

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>HOW TO TRAIN YOUR KAIBA<strong>

Kaiba soon paid for their purchases and they left the second-hand clothes store, leaving the still smiling Téa behind to browse for skirts. Mokuba volunteered to carry their huge shopping bag, having gotten so used to lugging his Nii-sama's briefcase all the time, and all in all, both brothers were satisfied that they had made such good progress by early afternoon. All they had to do now was return to the motel so Kaiba could change into his suit, and it fit him like a glove. One could tell it was old, and Kaiba felt it would have been beneath him to wear it in his own world, but it suited his purposes just fine, and that was all that mattered.

"Not bad, Nii-sama," said Mokuba.

"It's _perfect_, Mokuba. I'm going to blow them away. I can't wait to see Pegasus's face when he learns what my duel disk is capable of."

"Too bad you can't take a single card with you. If Seto had even one…"

"I know," said Kaiba, tilting his head forward aggressively. "But I'd rather go empty-handed than hold a demonstration using a _worthless_ card. This center is bound to have a card library available, and besides, it doesn't matter because I'm perfectly prepared to squeeze Pegasus dry until I get what I want."

Mokuba looked at him alarmed, as though he had a bad premonition. Kaiba, however, felt nothing of the sort. Much like a blood-thirsty hunting dog smelling fresh prey, all he could think of was the upcoming challenge. He gave a haughty glance at the mirror as he put on his duel disk; one could tell he was going into battle and 'losing' was not in his vocabulary, and as Mokuba watched him, he finally realized what his Nii-sama had forgotten…

"I'm ready, Mokuba: it's time to go out there and show what I'm capable of. By the time I'm through with Pegasus, he won't know what hit him…" said Kaiba, his teeth bared. He didn't even look at his little brother anymore as he picked up Seto's binder, but headed straight for the door. He didn't want to waste time, driven by a single thought: that he had to win, at all costs.

"Wait, Seto!" Mokuba cried after him, sitting up quickly on his bed.

"What is it?" asked Kaiba, almost grudgingly.

"Please sit down for a minute."

"I have to go, Mokuba."

"_Just one minute_, Seto," pleaded Mokuba quietly, motioning to the bed next to his. Kaiba quirked an eyebrow, his shoulders tensing, but he walked back and sat down facing with his little brother. He stared at his little brother, his eyes unnervingly piercing, but Mokuba met his glare and forced himself to be calm, know his next task was nothing short of painful.

"You're not ready yet. There's one last detail you've forgotten about," he explained.

"Enlighten me," came the rather cool reply.

"Your behavior, and that could make all the difference, Seto. You have to hold back."

"Mokuba, I'm a businessman, and businessmen can't afford to be soft!"

"You are not a businessman!" retorted Mokuba. "In this world, you are a poor, miserable seventeen-year-old orphan! You lived in an orphanage for seven years because nobody wanted us, and winning that scholarship didn't really make a difference because you still have nothing in the world, and now you're going to Pegasus in a cheap suit because you can't afford decent clothes, and you're taking a hand-written draft because you designed a duel disk for a card game that you couldn't even buy a single card for. You shouldn't even have a prototype: where would you have gotten that kind of money, Seto? Nobody gives grants for poor high school students, and even if they did, Pegasus still wouldn't have even heard of you because nobody besides your little brother even cares that you exist!"

At first, Kaiba listened with his lips tightly pursed, trying to swallow his brother's words, but the longer Mokuba went on, the paler he turned, and by the time his little brother finished, all the color had drained from Kaiba's face. His jaws clenched as he glared into space; it only took Mokuba one look at him to know he had cut him deep.

"It's the truth, Seto," he continued, deliberately resisting the urge to him Nii-sama. "While you are wearing this hand-me-down suit, you're a nobody, and nobodies can't afford to be cocky, so be a man and behave like a saint, because you're playing with the lives of two other people."

Kaiba lowered his head. His eyes were hard and Mokuba was almost scared of him, but he pressed on, knowing he was very close now.

"Look at me, Seto."

Kaiba slowly lifted his eyes to him, cold with powerless anger.

"If you can't behave, then don't go at all."

Kaiba swallowed. His mouth ran dry.

"I can behave."

"What did you say?"

"_I said I can behave!_"

"Really? I haven't noticed," replied Mokuba, his tone full of bile, glaring at his brother with such determination that, just this once, he managed to defeat him. Kaiba lowered his head like a fierce animal that had been whipped into submission, the lashes his little brother's words.

"Alright, Mokuba," he said quietly. "I'll behave."

"You're not going to shout?"

"I'm not going to shout."

"Make threats?"

"No."

"Be a smart-ass?"

"I won't."

By the time he said it, his will to fight had left him. His eyes were dull. Mokuba's heart was still pounding wildly, thoroughly ashamed of himself for speaking that way to Nii-sama, _Nii-sama,_ but he just couldn't get that small, bare dorm room and those handmade cards out of his mind. He imagined a poor, sad, tired Nii-sama and a kind-hearted Mokuba struggling in vain, and all he could think of was these two brothers as he abused the power that he alone possessed and subdued his beloved older brother, who would have never endured this much pain and suffering from anyone but him.

"Then go," he said quietly, squeezing his older brother's hand in goodbye. "Good luck."


	15. A Modest Business Proposal

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>A MODEST BUSINESS PROPOSAL<strong>

And so Kaiba set out to the local center of Industrial Illusions, a handwritten draft under one arm and an empty duel disk on the other. He felt strange, almost schizophrenic; he was mortified and Mokuba's words still burned inside him with a dull pang, but his pain slowly changed until it grew beyond Kaiba's wounded pride, and then burned on for the other Seto that life had thrown away when he was eight years old, leaving him with nothing but his mind and his little brother. Kaiba spent two years at that orphanage and suffered for years in his stepfather's house, but at least his pain paid off: he was an independent, wealthy, renowned and influential CEO by the time he turned sixteen. Seto waited seven years to be adopted and his only breakthrough brought him nothing but two miserable, fruitless years. It was this poor, nameless Seto that was now going to see Maximillion Pegasus, to knock on the door of one of the most influential game designers in the world without any support or background, in a hand-me-down suit and a handwritten draft in his hands, when dozens of multimillion dollar companies were lobbying at his door all day to make him commit, and the idea was so terrible and absurd that it nearly made Kaiba's head swim.

Anyone else might have felt overwhelmed by now, but Kaiba fought with every ounce of his strength to overcome his fear. He looked to the past when he challenged one of the most powerful businessmen in the world as a kid, and defeated him because he was determined to win, and carefully counted all he had achieved in his young life. That was how his fear first turned into courage, and then into pure, unbridled energy and passion, and it filled him with a strong, satisfying sense of certainty that this was the way it was meant to be. He had many advantages over Seto. He was a veteran of the business world, he had a perfectly good, hand-assembled prototype to show Pegasus (while everyone else wore nothing but assembly line copies), and he had experienced first hand just how much he was capable of… and he was soon convinced that what he was about to do couldn't possibly be more difficult than making the transition from poor orphan to multimillionaire CEO. _This is just another game,_ thought Kaiba, _and I'm going to win it if it's the last thing I do…_

By the time he stepped into the building, Kaiba's fear had dissipated. All his posture betrayed was a hint of tension – perfectly understandable under the circumstances. He pressed the binder to his chest almost protectively as he approached the receptionist, his steps slow and calm, trying his best to play his role as convincingly as possible.

"Good day," he greeted the wide-eyed receptionist, bowing his head as he introduced himself. "I would like an appointment to speak with Mr. Maximillion Pegasus."

"Mr. Pegasus is very busy, young man," the receptionist replied in mild surprise. "Please state your business."

"I have come to make him a business proposal," said Kaiba with as much modesty as he could muster. "I have an invention that might interest him."

He could see on her face that she was expecting something else entirely. _Oh well, at least I got her attention_, thought Kaiba, waiting patiently.

"What sort of invention?" the receptionist asked at last, and Kaiba lifted his arm without a word to show her the duel disk. The gleaming, intelligent-looking device spoke for itself – it certainly looked the part of a designer's work of art.

"It's a portable holographic projector that will bring the game to life."

The woman licked her lip. She did like the gadget and the handsome, if somewhat shabby young man, but Mr. Pegasus was fussy about his time and she loved her job too much.

"I'm afraid you have come at a bad time. Mr. Pegasus specifically requested that he is only to be disturbed if the matter is urgent."

"May I ask you something?" spoke Kaiba, his tone even. The woman looked at him in anticipation. "Wouldn't a tenfold increase in profits be urgent enough for Mr. Pegasus?"

A moment of intense silence. The receptionist turned her head away. Kaiba followed her glance and saw a small camera on the ceiling, aimed at the two of them. He stared into the lens and waited, his heart in his throat. There was a flash of light behind his back, and Kaiba tensed as he turned around. He was staring at a huge television screen just opposite the receptionist's desk, and on the screen appeared Maximillion Pegasus. There was a smug, scornful little smile on his face as though he were laughing at a joke that only he understood, and it took every ounce of Kaiba's will to keep himself from scowling at him.

"Did I hear this young lad mention a tenfold increase in profits?" he asked in his usual prima donna fashion. "How amusing."

"If you spare me a few minutes, I will gladly give you a demonstration, Sir," said Kaiba, reserved and polite. He lifted his arm and the duel disk switched on. The two halves of the card reader united and the surface lit up from within.

"What a charming little gadget," said Pegasus, his tone patronizing. "But what does it have to do why my Duel Monsters cards?"

That was the moment Kaiba remembered that he hadn't brought a single card. Chills ran down his spine, but he tried to stay calm and collected.

"If you would lend me a few cards—"

"Pardon me?"

Pegasus even lifted a hand to his ear, as though he were in some bad theatrical play.

"I would like to show you my invention, but I don't have any cards."

The look on Pegasus's face was so condescending that Kaiba had nearly lost all hope of success. The corridor rang with dulcet laughter.

"I had my suspicions about that suit, not to mention that silly scrapbook, but not bringing a single card with you… now _that's_ embarrassing. You didn't steal this invention, did you?"

"I designed it and built it myself," replied Kaiba, his lips tightly pursed. "It's my life's work, and if you just lent me a _single_ card, you would see that it's worth its weight in gold."

Pegasus locked him in a stare, and Kaiba couldn't help but wonder if he still had that mysterious eye that gave him the power to snatch his brother's soul and look into his cards.

"Why did you bother inventing it if you have nothing to play with?"

"Because I believed that someday, I would. The game inspired me."

"How touching. Let me guess: mommy and daddy can't afford to spend their precious money on your hobbies?"

"My parents are dead. I raise my little brother by myself and we live on the scholarship I had won when I was fifteen years old. And now I'm here, I have brought you the designs of my invention and the only prototype in existence, and I'm not leaving until you give me a chance to show you what it's capable of."

Kaiba hardly knew what possessed him to speak. Deep inside, he feared that he had shown weakness, though it was the injustice of the situation that forced that confession out of him. Pegasus's expression was unfathomable. The silence was deafening.

"Then you are going to wait for a very long time, young man," was Pegasus's final verdict. Kaiba felt himself tense, suffocating with anger but still struggling to maintain that facade of calm that had long been nothing but a lie.

"I'll wait," he said as though his life depended on it, and the screen went black.

The receptionist said nothing. She merely stared in sympathy at the young man who remained where he was, his head lowered and his arm hanging with the duel disk still on stand-by. Kaiba had no idea how long he had stood there, transfixed and humiliated; he felt as though he had left his body behind and ceased to exist because his fate was in Pegasus's hands and he chose to throw it away, because he had the power and he could. His chest was tight and he could scarcely breathe; had years of abuse in his stepfather's house left him with any tears to shed, he might have shown weakness in his anger, feeling all too keenly just how much was at stake at that stupid chess game seven years ago. Their whole lives depended on that checkmate that day… and today, it would have taken but a single card (_any card…_) not to destroy Seto's hopes and dreams.

"Young man…" the receptionist called to him when she could no longer bear looking at him. Kaiba's neck creaked like a rusty hinge as he turned to her.

"May I sit down somewhere?" he asked quietly.

"In the lobby," the woman replied. "…The coffee machine is free," she added kindly. Kaiba thanked her for the tip and then sat down in an armchair, pressing the binder to his heart. His eyes were empty, but for one small, defiant glimpse – the last ounce of Seto Kaiba's strength.


	16. The Nameless Hero

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>THE NAMELESS HERO<strong>

At first, Mokuba didn't mind being alone at the motel. He turned on the radio, tuned in to a local music station, and then lay down on his bed to play with the cards his Nii-sama left behind. He soon tired of them, however, and started glancing up more and more at the large, round clock on the wall. Forty-five minutes. Fifty-two minutes. An hour. An hour and fifteen minutes. Nii-sama had been gone for almost an hour and a half, and he still hasn't returned.

Mokuba wouldn't have worried about him in his own world. Seto Kaiba was nigh untouchable, and had he required assistance, he would have been able to contact Roland or Kaiba Corp security in no time. But here… every try would have been in vain here. Nii-sama had nothing but a crummy suit and the key to their room, and Mokuba's anxiety was slowly eating him up inside: _why hasn't he come home yet? _Did Pegasus do something to him? What if he never even got to him because something happened to him on the way? What if… _no, I mustn't, I mustn't even think it_, Mokuba grit his teeth, leaving his bed for the window and staring down at the empty street outside. What should he do? Should he go after him? Maybe that would be best… better than squirming helplessly in here. After all, Nii-sama might need him…

A minute later, he left the motel running, taking nothing but the key. He realized halfway that he had even left his down vest behind, but he didn't care, running as fast as his legs could carry him to the local headquarters of Industrial Illusions. There, locked away in his nice, spacious and comfortable office was Maximillion Pegasus, pacing up and down and stopping only to glance at the television monitors on the wall. It had been over an hour since he had turned off his own camera, but that hour inched by torturously slow. According to the live security feed, that young man of no name or consequence was still there, waiting like some living statue, and Pegasus was in agony, aching to know if that tacky metallic gadget was really worth his time or not. When he had turned him down so handsomely! How could he go down to him now without making himself look like a fool? He's the creator of a game adored by millions worldwide, after all: _he,_ stoop down to some brat in a hand-me-down suit? Absurd!

And yet… the idea still had a hold over him. Something in that young man's eye: _fire burning, defiance, tenacity,_ _passion…_ Pegasus suspected that he may have overromanticized the situation, but still.

The automated glass doors of the front entrance opened and closed with a dull snap, and Mokuba ran inside as though he were on a rescue mission. The receptionist stared at him wide-eyed as he burst into the vast lobby, but Kaiba didn't even notice him, still a prisoner of his thoughts and staring into space as though he had turned to stone. Mokuba looked around, breathing hard, and when he finally spotted him, he broke into a sprint.

"Nii-sama!" his relieved cry echoed in the dead silence of the lobby. Only then did Kaiba look up, his eyes glowing with the joy and pain of recognition.

"Mokuba…!" he answered his little brother, though he would not leave his post. Mokuba ran to him and jumped into his arms without a word.

"Nii-sama…!" he breathed, clinging to his older brother's neck, his relief drawing tears from his eyes. A few drops fell on Kaiba's cheap suit, leaving dank blots on the worn-out fabric. "I was so worried about you! I thought… I though something happened to you," he said, his voice small, and held onto his brother so tightly it hurt. "What happened, Nii-sama?"

That was the question Kaiba had dreaded ever since Mokuba had found him.

"I failed, Mokuba," he said, his voice so low his little brother could hardly hear him. Mokuba carefully drew back to look at him: his Nii-sama looked tired, his eyes dull, but he still sat there with his back straight and Seto's lifework in his arms. Mokuba's heart clenched, but his sadness was nothing compared to how proud he was of Nii-sama for staying for the two brothers who didn't even know he existed. He lowered his head and bonked his forehead to Kaiba's shoulder.

"You didn't fail," he said gently. "You're still here, Nii-sama. I'm proud of you."

Kaiba said nothing, lowering his head as he sank into grave silence, and so Mokuba said no more. He carefully slipped from his Nii-sama's lap, crawled onto the arm-rest and nestled softly against his brother's shoulder. Now they waited together, staying very still.

How long they had waited, they didn't know. Time had all but stopped around them. The receptionist sat at her desk in silence, glancing at them from time to time. Had it not been for all the cameras, she would have left her desk in a heartbeat to offer them something to drink. Kaiba didn't take her hint about the coffee machine: he drank nothing, neither in the first hour of waiting, nor in the next, when Mokuba slowly drifted off beside him and Kaiba pulled him gingerly into his arms so he wouldn't fall off the arm-rest in his sleep.


	17. Dignity of the Fallen

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>DIGNITY OF THE FALLEN<strong>

The brothers were roused by a loud clap. It was Pegasus, giving a slow, dramatic round of applause as he approached.

"Bravo, young man!" he greeted Kaiba. "You've just won the waiting game! Did you have fun?" he asked, his smile amused. Mokuba quickly slipped from Kaiba's lap, scampering to the side of the armchair, and Kaiba stood up, cocking his head forward slightly as he stared at Pegasus.

"No sense of humor, I see," noted Pegasus, still sounding rather cheerful. "Oh well, we cannot _all_ be perfect."

"Is there anything I can do for you, Sir?" asked Kaiba, his tone so calm and polite that Mokuba found himself staring at him in awe. His Nii-sama straightened himself and stood there like some noble beast; cheap suit or not, one could not help but notice how well pride suited him. Pegasus smirked.

"Well, at least that scholarship could afford you some manners," he said with condescension. "Since you have been so patient, I'll indulge you: show me that precious gadget of yours. But I must warn you that the competition is strong, so think twice about what you show me."

"I know that the competition is strong, but I believe in my invention," replied Kaiba, an almost hypnotic calm washing over him. Pegasus was here. He had won the first match.

Pegasus clapped dramatically, still wearing that condescending smirk, and a smartly dressed employee appeared, pushing a rolling cart over to Kaiba. On the top lay two long, flat boxes, filled with cards in laminated plastic covers.

"My own personal card library, young man. Or rather, a small slice of it. Choose one, and one only."

Kaiba stepped to the cart, flipping systematically through the neatly lined-up cards. He checked all of them and then turned back to the patiently waiting Pegasus.

"The card I have in mind is not among them," he told him, plain and simple. Mokuba glanced at them in alarm, but Pegasus's eye lit up with excitement.

"My, my, such high demands! My favorites aren't good enough!"

"These cards are all very powerful, but there is a card unlike any other in the world: the card that had inspired this duel disk," Kaiba explained, tenacious and patient as ever.

"And what might that marvelous card be?"

"You like playing games, Sir. Look at me and guess," replied Kaiba, his manners still impeccable, and straightened himself just a little more. Pegasus gave a light snort checking him out with a lazy glance. He saw a tall, thin, brown-haired young man. There was nothing truly remarkable about him expect those striking blue eyes, and that… he was all in white…

"Can you guess, Sir?" asked Kaiba, his eyes sparking. Pegasus snapped his fingers in reply, and the same smartly dressed employee pulled more boxes from the belly of the rolling cart. Pegasus picked one, seemingly at random, and took out a card, releasing it from its plastic bind and handing it over

"Did I guess correctly?" he teased him. Kaiba flipped the card, staring down at that beautiful _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_. Pegasus's master copy – one of the five cards that had ever been made in this world. Kaiba didn't have to say a word. His confident smile said it all.

"What are you waiting for, my good lad? Dazzle me."

"Then get ready!" said Kaiba, lifting his arm. The device switched on once again, the two card reader halves joining with a metallic click. The hologram projectors then opened on both sides, and Kaiba held up the card, placing it on the card reader.

"Show yourself, _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_!" he cried as the air crackled around them. Mokuba's heart was beating in his throat. Pegasus narrowed his eyes. Lifelike lightning struck through the air of the lobby, a gleaming rift opening from the void, and soaring into the air came the beast, its eyes flashing and its body shimmering. The dragon huffed, raising its gorgeous head to the sky, its roar filling the lobby, and Kaiba's face was glowing as his hand swung forward threateningly.

"Blue-Eyes! _White lightning attack!_"

Pegasus instinctively whipped up his arm when glowing light filled the dragon's mouth and burst forth with an earth-shattering roar. He almost expected the attack to carry him away, but it was just a illusion: a crisp, marvelous, lifelike hologram. The monster obediently lowered its head, shaking its wings, and Kaiba stared Pegasus in the eye, who stood there for a moment, seemingly thunderstruck, and then forced an air of light-hearted poise and clapped his hands.

"Bravo, young man! You have exceeded my every expectation… my expectations were very low at first, of course, but you could hardly hold that against me," he said with a smirk. "Do I understand that this… what did you call it? _Duel disk?_ Can be used anywhere at any time?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"You do realize that other companies also dabble in this technology?"

"I am aware that other companies offer you duel arenas with hologram projecting consoles, Sir, and those are also marketable. However, my device offers the exact same thing – with some added benefits. The duel disk can be used by anyone, anywhere, and at any time. The production costs are minimal compared to those of the competition. Additionally, if you insist on having arenas, you can simply install this technology in a larger console. I am offering you two inventions for the price of one."

Pegasus's smile slowly changed, betraying a greedy businessman.

"And just what would that price be, young man?"

"If you can spare some time, we can discuss the details right now," replied Kaiba, now floating freely in his own, natural element.

"Very well, but don't forget that I may still change my mind, no matter what we agree on. Now, follow me… is your precious baby brother coming too, or is he going to wait outside?"

Mokuba glanced at his brother, waiting. Kaiba gave him a proud little smile.

"My brother will accompany us. He and I are in this together," he replied. Pegasus clicked his tongue amused, and Mokuba followed them, positively beaming. He could hardly wait for the meeting to end to tell his Nii-sama how very proud he was of him.

Negotiations took a mere thirty minutes, and in the end, they were well worth the two wasted hours that had given both parties so much grief. Pegasus did at first entertain hopes that the young man's demands would be fairly low, but Kaiba decided to step out of Seto's shoes and back into his own, and he was not going to settle for small change. He didn't stop until he secured everything Seto would need to start a new life: a respectable project budget and the post of project manager (which meant a steady job and a good salary on top of the budget), ten percent of the profits from duel disk sales in case of successful market penetration, and the right to install this technology in stadiums as well with the same ten percent bonus, and he did all of this the way he promised Mokuba he would – without shouting, making threats or being a smartass. He was tenacious and polite, and Pegasus could not find fault with him; he could see the possibilities inherent within portable technology even without Kaiba's arguments, and secretly, he was already formulating plans of his next Duel Monsters tournament…


	18. Dinner for Six

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>DINNER FOR SIX<strong>

Half an hour after Yugi and his friends had found the siblings, Seto's work shift was finally over, and the six of them soon settled down upstairs in a fast food restaurant. It was all thanks to Mokuba: he told Yugi and his friends by the fountain that a dinner invitation would convince them for sure – ignoring the protests and qualms of his older brother –, and after some discussion, the others quickly counted their money and accepted. Seto followed them with his eyes cast down in shame, but not even that could ruin Mokuba's good mood. He finally did something nice for Ani-chan: he got him a whole hot meal.

They had never been to a restaurant, let alone a fast food restaurant, and felt rather awkward as they sat down in the comfortable, cushioned chairs opposite Yugi and his friends. The others soon made up their minds and Tristan offered to order and deliver everything, so they took out their wallets once again to chip in for the food (as Seto watched them with an anxious look on his face because he didn't have any money on him at all). The brothers had no idea what their options were, so they were counted in as two normal size meals and Seto soon followed Tristan downstairs. Mokuba trusted his brother's judgment and remained with the others, and since he was in a good mood, he chattered nonstop until dinner.

In the meantime, Tristan and Seto went to stand in line. The place was busy, but Tristan didn't mind: at least he had time to explain the menu, and he was secretly amused by "Kaiba's" quiet, polite replies.

"So, menu three then?" he asked, just to be sure. Seto nodded.

"Do they have something smaller?" he asked cautiously. "I mean, a smaller portion."

"Of course! I think I know just the thing," replied Tristan, and when it was finally their turn, he ordered five adult meals and one children's meal for the gang. Seto watched anxiously as the cashier put the latter in a huge, colorful cardboard box (he could have sworn he saw some small figurine go in as well), and then took the eye-catching tray and waited on the side while Tristan received theirs and paid for the food. The meal beside the cardboard box smelled very inviting, and Seto's stomach growled so fiercely that he was forced to cough to mask the sound. Luckily for him, Tristan was quick, and Seto followed him rather stiffly back upstairs.

Mokuba was still chatting lively when they made their way back, the others grinning as they listened. He was just relating a very exaggerated story about himself and some bullies in his class when his older brother and Tristan stepped to the table, and the silence was almost striking as Mokuba's jaw fell at the sight of all those hamburgers and French fries. Seto gently ushered his awestruck little brother inside, setting the tray between them as Tristan placed two trays in front of the others and divided their meals. Mokuba immediately reached for the cardboard box (careful not to tear it), and once he unpacked it, he found the toy hidden inside: a small plastic action figure.

"Oh, cool!" he cried with joy, fiddling gift that was obviously intended for him as Seto carefully set the cardboard box aside. "It's a duel monster, isn't it? Wait, don't tell me, let me guess… the Harpy Lady! I've seen her in a manual! She even has armor on with spikes and everything. I'd like to see anyone try and mess with her! So cool! Come here, you, I'll put you in the middle to make everyone jealous, and then you're coming home with me."

The others smiled and watched as Mokuba put the Harpy Lady in the middle of the table. All eyes were now fixed on the brothers, and Seto flushed lightly as he quickly turned the tray around so he would have the children's meal. Mokuba hesitated when he saw the food that was meant for him, glancing at him self-consciously, but Seto merely flashed him a soft smile and his hand quickly slipped between their dinners.

"_That's_ yours, Mokuba," he said quietly. The others stared at him, their hearts clenching. His _hand_ was bigger than the food he shielded from his little brother, and they only noticed just now how bony and skinny Seto was out of his overcoat. When Tristan realized his _faux pas_, he stared down at his food with his forehead creasing, and Mokuba swallowed hard, pressing his forehead to his brother's thin arm.

"But it's _your_ gift…!" he whispered, his voice thick. "You could have eaten as much as you want, Ani-chan…!"

"I couldn't eat more anyway," whispered Seto, hoping the others wouldn't hear from all the noise, and gave his little brother's arm a small squeeze. "Come on, _eat it_ or it will get cold…"

The others fidgeted awkwardly. Téa quickly took out her compact mirror and wiped away a tear as though she were fixing her make-up; Joey rubbed his eyes because he "got somethin' in 'em", and Yugi and Tristan sat in deep silence, and then they all started eating not to make the brothers any more uncomfortable. When Mokuba finally resigned himself to having the larger meal, he snatched up his packet of French fries and tucked in, while Seto chewed, swallowed and drank, chewed, swallowed and drank in a slow, even pace, hoping the others would be patient enough to wait as he ground up his share bite by minuscule bite.

While the brothers ate in silence (if only because Mokuba's mouth was always full), the others told them about themselves. Now that they had won Seto and Mokuba' trust, they proceeded to bring up their own counterparts, though they almost regretted it when they saw how bitter Seto had become. Mokuba, however, listened attentively: the idea that his brother could be in danger and these people want to help them was more than enough to make him and Seto side with the different dimension gang.

"They also said somethin' about 'sendin' a message'," said Joey with his mouth full, he and Mokuba locked in an intense food race. "Did you get anything?"

"I didn't receive any messages," replied Seto, who had merely started on his hamburger. "Of course, if they did send something, all I have to do is to check my mailbox," he concluded, obviously anxious. Mokuba gave him a pat on the arm.

"It'll be empty, Ani-chan. You defeated Yugi like, a year ago, and he hasn't spoken to you since. Why would he attack you now?"

"Wait a minute here," spoke Joey muffled by another mouthful. "You beat Yugi in a duel? I mean the other Yugi, who's a rotten jerk?" he added as the "real" Yugi shrank and busied himself even more with his dinner.

"That's right," replied Mokuba, sticking his chin up with pride. Seto, however, turned his head and sank into awkward silence.

"Wait till moneybags hears about this! He'll freak! He's never done that in a fair duel before!" gloated Joey, taking a huge victory sip of his soda. Seto's shoulders tensed.

"It wasn't a real victory," he said quietly. "I was playing with Wheeler's deck and he had a lot of luck-based cards. Luck had won the duel, not me."

Joey quirked a sharp eyebrow and glared at him almost sulkily. Seto, still tense, continued.

"When Yugi Muto challenged me, I didn't have a deck, so he told the others to give me one and Wheeler gave me his. I've never even had a real deck in my hands before. I only knew the rules, and Yugi Muto was a tough opponent. If I hadn't been lucky with one of those luck-based cards, he would have won."

"There's nothin' wrong with a bit of luck," Joey said, flushing. "I think it makes the game more excitin', and my deck has never let me down. You probably won because you play smart and strategic, like me!"

Tristan and Téa broke into chuckles. Joey nearly chucked his soda at them, but he was too thirsty to do it. Seto fumbled his napkin, looking self-conscious.

"I don't know how well I played or not. I really can't remember anymore," he said, his voice low. "And I didn't mean to offend you with what I've said about luck. I simply know that it wasn't experience or a strategy that helped me win. All I can remember is that I've never prayed so much in my life to draw a good card."

Seto's words reminded Yugi of the heart of the cards, and so he smiled and nodded.

"If you believe in the heart of the cards and your deck, you will always find a way," he said to Seto.

"It wasn't my deck," replied Seto, but Yugi shook his head.

"It wasn't your deck, true, but it sounds like this other Joey Wheeler didn't really believe in his cards, because in the end, they brought victory to you, not to him and his friends. You believed that there was a solution and you found it, and that is really impressive if it was your very first duel, too!"

"That is very kind of you to say, but it's not a fond memory."

"But why?" asked Tristan without thinking. "You were a rookie and yet you beat a really good player in front of everyone. What's so bad about that?"

"What came after it," replied Mokuba, and Seto turned his head away.

"You don't mean…" Joey said indignantly. Mokuba nodded, and Seto's hands clenched into fists under the table. He very nearly stood up to go home that very minute so he wouldn't have to talk about it anymore. He came very close to hating the game and giving it up for ever; his own secret project was well on its way by then, and only all his hard work and the beautiful Blue-Eyes White Dragon kept him from giving up on what he had been planning for so long. Mokuba could tell what his brother was thinking of, and hung his head, sick with guilt. He knew that many a sleepless night had passed before Ani-chan recovered from the blow he received that day, just because he watched others play a game that he had grown so fond of, and he was talented enough to win.

"I'm sorry, Ani-chan," Mokuba pleaded him, his voice small, and gave his brother's arm a careful pat with the back of his hand not to smear grease on his clothes.

"I'm not angry," came the melancholy reply. "I'm just not proud of it, that's all."

"You don't have to be ashamed of it!" Joey snapped at him, almost hoping they would run into their counterparts again. His fist was itching badly, and he would have gladly put it to some use. "They were many against one, and they only beat you up 'cause they knew you would've won the rematch too, and they would've never lived it down!"

"I told you, Ani-chan," said Mokuba, and Seto finally allowed himself a small, self-conscious smile.

"I still hope they weren't thinking of me, though," he said, starting eating again, though he hardly had the stomach anymore. "The result would be the same whether I win or lose, and one time was bad enough."

"Don't worry, we're all with you!" said Yugi, and the others perked up immediately.

"That's right!" said Téa, and Tristan joined in, too. "We'll protect you!"

"Just let 'em try and mess with us!" said Joey, his tone fierce, smacking his first against his palm. "We'll mop the floor with 'em, and if they don't watch themselves, we'll sick Kaiba on 'em, and then _he'll_ show 'em for ya!"

Joey said it without thinking, but the silence that followed was so sudden and so heavy it could be cut with a knife.

"Sick… Kaiba on them…" repeated Yugi as though he were talking in his sleep.

"Not a bad idea!" said Tristan. "Who knew that Joey was actually capable of rational thought!"

"Watch your mouth, Tristan!"

"It's not a bad idea, but we would need Kaiba, and who knows where _he_ is," Téa reminded them. "Or if he would even agree to it. Kaiba can be so obdurate."

"That's true," owned Yugi. "But if he knew whom it was for, then I'm sure he would agree. He might even like the idea: it's like a chance at the rematch he had always wanted!"

"There is one more tiny little problem," spoke Seto, and all eyes turned on him. "I could never ask such a huge favor from anyone, even if their name happened to be Seto Kaiba. If it turns out that I'm the one who's been challenged, then I will have to accept it, and I can't risk innocent people getting hurt. You are all very kind for trying to help, but this is too much and I can't accept it."

The discussion was more or less over at this point. Yugi and the others didn't know what to say, and Mokuba stayed silent too, knowing there were no words to express how proud he was of his older brother. They quietly ate the rest of their dinner and left the restaurant; they couldn't sit there for much longer when there were so many problems still unsolved, finding accommodation for the night for Yugi and his friends among them. Seto immediately offered them their beds at the dorm, but they didn't have the heart to accept it: they didn't want to impose on the siblings and had a feeling that they wouldn't have all fit inside a two-bed dorm room anyway. Nevertheless, they agreed to escort them back to the dorm; they hoped they might be able to think of something along the way, they were all anxious to see if Seto had gotten anything, and secretly, they felt that both brothers were better off not walking home alone…


	19. You've Got Mail

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>YOU'VE GOT MAIL<strong>

They soon arrived to the dorm. The receptionist looked up and shook his head – he felt as though all he had done all day was say hello and goodbye to Seto, and he found it hard to follow that, through the course of the day, he had seen him in simple street clothes, a white leather jacket, and even a white suit a few hours ago, and now he looked just the same as he did this morning. The older brother greeted him politely, and Mokuba opened the cardboard box he brought home from the restaurant to show him the Harpy Lady. The receptionist smiled and listened attentively, and when he realized it was a gift from Yugi and his friends, he gave them a nod of approval. Joey grinned and gave Tristan a pat on the back.

In the mean time, Seto fished out his keys and checked his mail box. One corner of the letter was still peeking out, and Seto's hand trembled as he pulled it out. He read it and then showed the others, and Yugi's forehead creased when he recognized his handwriting. They watched with a heavy heart as Seto pocketed the letter, but just then, Téa saw another one through the grates, tucked away at the bottom of the mail box, muddling the situation even further. Seto opened the mail box and took out the piece of paper, unfolding it. He found his own handwriting staring back at him.

_Dear Seto,_

_I know who challenged you to a duel, and I know they have set a trap for you. I cannot allow their plan to succeed, so I suggest we meet tomorrow at 8 am in the park in front of the dorm. Don't misunderstand: I will go through with my plan no matter how the meeting goes. I simply want to get to know you before I take your place and crush the competition._

_If you have the means, call me at the number on the bottom of this page. I should be available by five in the afternoon._

_Until then, take care and give my regards to Mokuba,_

_ S. K._

"Oh boy," mumbled Tristan when Seto finished reading.

"So that's Seto Kaiba?" asked Mokuba. "My other brother?"

"The one an' only… thank god," muttered Joey. "And he's one step ahead of us again. How the heck does he _do_ that, Yug? We haven't even seen 'im since he left us behind!"

"He must have found a clue that lead him here. We found ourselves the moment we visited Grandpa's Game Shop, and Kaiba went to look for himself, too – I'm not surprised that he managed. We had to give up when we found out that Kaiba Corp was a red herring, but he knew where to go from there, and from the sound of it, he didn't stop until he found what he was looking for."

"He sounds cool," said Mokuba. "He's not like Ani-chan at all."

"He does sound very different," said Seto self-consciously, lowering his eyes. "He must be very self-confident."

"He's a egotistic jerk, he just has his moments," grumbled Joey, and then gave a howl when Mokuba kicked him in the ankle.

"Nobody talks about my brother like that, no matter what dimension he came from!" he told him. "If you disrespect my family, you've got to answer to me!"

"Now you sound like a miniature Kaiba," groaned Joey, massaging his aching ankle. "Seto, you should take Mokuba to the park, they'd get along just fine. And in the meantime, you could make friends with _our_ Mokuba. He's a nice squirt, you'd like 'im."

"I'm _not_ miniature, and I'm not a _squirt_," grumbled Mokuba, but Seto gently patted his shoulder, and the sulking ceased.

"Do you think I could talk him out of his plan?" asked Seto.

"Talk him out of it? Forget it!" replied Joey. "Besides, why would you wanna do that?"

"I don't want him to get hurt," replied Seto with obvious concern.

"You don't have to worry about Kaiba," said Yugi.

"To tell ya the truth, as opponents go, he's _brutal_," allowed Joey. "He may have only beaten Yugi once, but if you could beat that other Yugi, then Kaiba's definitely a contender."

"Is he good?" asked Mokuba, getting more and more excited.

"He was the world champion for years," replied Yugi. "It's true that I managed to defeat him, but I owe him the toughest duels of my life. If this is how it has to be, you couldn't have asked for more."

"Yeah, especially since the only thing he likes more than winnin' is himself and Mokuba," added Joey.

"Ani-chan, you've gotta take me to the park tomorrow!" said Mokuba, his eyes glimmering. Seto gulped nervously.

"Don't get too excited, Mokuba, I don't think he's willin' to trade little brothers," teased Joey.

"Who says I want to trade with him?" replied Mokuba without missing a beat. "I just want to see what he's like. I'll stick with Ani-chan. He's perfect just the way he is."

Mokuba couldn't say more. Seto, who had been terribly afraid he was going to pale in comparison, snatched his little brother up with a grin and held him tight as though he were never going to let go. All this affection made Mokuba flush dark crimson and whine that this was embarrassing, but Seto pretended not to hear, and in the end, his little brother caved in and put his arms around his neck. Joey rubbed his eyes again and decided to say no more.

They then proceeded to Seto and Mokuba's humble abode. Much like the Kaiba brothers, the four friends were also taken aback at the near-empty dorm room, though none of them were as self-conscious as Seto, who had never had guests before. Mokuba, however, didn't even bat an eyelid. He crossed the small room, set the cardboard box down by the bed, and after a bit of rummaging, the Harpy Lady found her rightful place on the nightstand. Mokuba admired her with his hands on his hips, and then turned to the others.

"Home, sweet home," he said, wry and sarcastic, but he was smiling, and his smile soon spread to the others. "Have a seat."

The gang settled on the beds and Seto kneeled down to turn on the heater by the wall between them. It provided precious little warmth, but he hoped they'd feel the change in time.

"So, what's the next step?" asked Téa. "Do we look for a place to stay? Are there any rooms available here?"

"There should be, but I'm not sure about prices," said Seto. "I can ask for you if you like."

"Good idea. But the first step is obvious, isn't it?" spoke Yugi. "We have to call Kaiba. He must have given you his number because he had found a place where he'd be available for a while. Maybe he can even get _us_ a place to stay."

"Not for nothin', Yug, but we ain't in the same league as rich boy," said Joey. "He may be able to afford some luxury hotel room, but I can't, and you three can't either."

"We should still call him. You never know."

"Fine… but you talk to 'im."

"Alright."

"There's a telephone down the hall," said Mokuba.

"Then let's go and get this over with," said Joey, obviously not looking forward to it.


	20. The Phone Call

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>THE PHONECALL<strong>

All six of them soon huddled around the payphone at the end of the hallway. Yugi was clutching the receiver in one hand, dialing the number in the letter with the other and then putting it on speaker, all of them waiting with their hearts pounding. Seto tensed as the phone rang, but Mokuba looked excited, their hands clenched on each other's sleeves. One more ring, and there was a click. Somebody picked it up.

"Hello?" came an anxious voice from the other end – Mokuba Kaiba.

"Mokuba? It's Yugi!"

"Yugi…?" came the puzzled reply, followed by a small click and a faint, distant voice as Mokuba also put their own phone on speaker. "How did you find us?"

"We ran into Seto and Mokuba by sheer luck, and they showed us the letter," explained Yugi.

"I should have known you would stick your noses into this sooner or later," Kaiba spoke into the phone. Seto grew pale. Mokuba's heart was beating very fast.

"We love ya too, Kaiba," replied Joey in a mocking tone.

"What are _you_ doing on the end of the line, Wheeler? Don't tell me you put it on speaker."

"We sure did, and Seto and Mokuba are right here so they could hear first hand what a loveable human bein' you are."

The line went silent for a long moment.

"Can they really hear us?" asked Kaiba, his tone more reserved than before.

"Yeah, they're standin' right next to us. Join the fun, boys!" Joey said to them. Mokuba was about to speak, but Seto quickly put a hand over his mouth and shook his head, looking alarmed. "They're a lil' nervous, but they'll come around."

"Maybe if you shut your mouth for a minute, they could get a word in," Kaiba said acridly.

"Maybe if you stopped bein' a jerk, they would actually wanna talk to you," retorted Joey.

"May I speak with them? Or at least _to_ them?" asked Mokuba Kaiba, interrupting them.

"Sure. They're listening," said Yugi.

"Hi," began Mokuba, sounding somewhat sheepish himself, but all the more happy and warm. It felt as though their family had suddenly expanded, and so he tried to pretend that he was talking to their long-lost brothers. "We visited the dorm this morning and that's when we saw the letter. We want to help you, me and Nii-sama – that's why we'd like to meet you tomorrow. I hope you don't mind that it couldn't be today. I would have waited for you, but we were afraid that the receptionist might get suspicious and bust us, so it had to be tomorrow morning and the park."

By this time, Seto had calmed down a little and seemed reconciled to the voice that sounded exactly like his little brother. Mokuba was also listening intently, an awed little smile on his face; he was especially struck by what the other Mokuba called his older brother. He himself had never called his brother Nii-sama, though it wasn't out of disrespect: he simply felt that it didn't suit his brother at all. Seto had always been Ani-chan to him – amiable, peaceful, and too good for his own good. Kaiba, however, sounded like a formidable person, someone to behold, and it just made Mokuba want to meet him all the more.

"Oh, we never got to tell you, but we want to treat you to breakfast," continued Mokuba, hoping one of them would finally say something. "We've found a good place nearby."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mokuba," said Yugi, "but we still don't have a place to stay for the night. You two managed to find accommodation, right?"

"Of course we did. What did you think, that we were camping in a phone booth?" Kaiba spoke again, and from the sound of it, he was seriously beginning to lose his patience. He had been waiting for this call from the moment he had jotted that number down; he, too, had spotted the telephone at the end of the hall, and was certain that Seto and Mokuba wouldn't pass up the chance to talk to him. His own introduction was less than fortunate, perhaps, but he had every hope that Mokuba might entice the brothers to speak at last… but now that it was Yugi once again, when they might have been so close to hearing Seto or Mokuba speak, Kaiba's ugly side was beginning to get the better of him.

"Where are you? Is there any room for us, too?" asked Yugi.

"There's no room for three more people and dogs aren't allowed," came Kaiba's reply. Joey gritted his teeth.

"I'm gonna go to the park tomorrow and pummel ya, Kaiba!"

"_Will somebody put a muzzle on him already!_"

Joey nearly cried out in anger, and just this once, Téa was the one to pull him aside, not Tristan, while Seto grew even paler as it hit him that _Wheeler_ spoke to him like that on the day of the duel: _he_ called him a dog in front of everybody. The association sickened him. His eyes were glassy.

"Kaiba! I'm serious. Where are you, and what are the chances of us getting a room there?" continued Yugi with as much steel in his voice as he could muster.

"I'm serious, Yugi: there are no more vacancies. Our room was the last one available," replied Kaiba, containing himself just barely. "They probably have some spare rooms in the dorm, though, so just rent two rooms there. You can't possibly be this dumb. Why are you even wasting my time with this?"

"…I don't think we have enough money, Kaiba," owned Yugi.

"And I suppose you think I'm the Dweeb Salvation Army."

"It's just for one night, and we'll pay you back!"

"It's not about the money, it's about you being a pain in the neck! The moment I shake you off, you go and latch onto Seto, too – can't we go anywhere without you constantly getting in our way?"

"That's enough!" snapped Seto. His thin face flushed, his eyes burning feverishly with shame and anger the likes of which he had never known before. "I'm not going to listen to this anymore! You obviously have no intention of helping anybody, so let's not waste each other's time: _I_ will give them a place to stay. And now I'm going to hang up because I don't want to talk to you anymore, and we're not going to meet tomorrow because I don't want help from anybody who treats his friends like dirt! Goodbye!" he finished, and then grabbed the receiver and slammed it down. Everybody was staring at him in shock and his stomach shrank in embarrassment, but he swallowed, and tried to get a grip on himself.

"I couldn't let him talk to you that way in… _in my voice_," the words slipped out, and his hand instinctively slipped to his throat; listening to Seto Kaiba felt as though someone had played some cruel trick on him. Joey carefully patted his shoulder with a grateful smile on his face, and looked positively thrilled that Seto told off Kaiba for them.

"Don't feel bad because of him, Set," he said, his voice friendly. "It's not your fault he's like that, just like it ain't our fault that our counterparts are jerks. It's alright, pal."

"But the way you talked about him I thought he was different. I thought he was… that he was a _good person_," owned Seto, hanging his head in utter disappointment. His hands were still clenched into fists by his side. Mokuba carefully patted the back of his hand.

"He's not a _bad_ person," said Yugi gently when he saw how much Seto had taken it to heart. "He's just sort of difficult. We're kind of used to it by now. Maybe it would have been best if I talked to him alone. Let me call him back, maybe things will turn out better this time!"

"Don't!" cried Seto. The idea made his stomach clench; his heart jolted fiercely in his chest. "I'm glad this happened. At least I now know what he's really like, and I don't have to feel bad for rejecting him."

There was a minute of awkward, painful silence. Seto took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.

"Let's go back to our room," he said, forcing a little smile on his face. "And I meant what I said: you'll all sleep here. You can have our beds."

"We cannot accept…" Yugi tried to say, but Seto looked at them almost pleading.

"Please," he said quietly. "I'd like to repay you for dinner. At least let me do that."

They did not know what to else to say; it was obvious that Seto desperately needed to somehow compensate and get over his disappointment, and so they all nodded in silence and returned to the room. Seto seated them and asked his little brother to entertain them while he ran off to the kitchen to see if they had anything to offer to their guests. Mokuba knew for a fact that he wasn't going to find anything, and pride or no pride, he asked Yugi and his friends not to say anything should Ani-chan return empty-handed. They promised, and waited anxiously, but Seto came back with a pitcher of tea and a box of biscuits, and the danger was over. Mokuba was the only one who flushed awkwardly when his older brother smiled at them and proceeded to share the goods – he was almost certain that Ani-chan borrowed some money from one of their neighbors to spare them from embarrassment, but the worst thing was that everybody knew because of him.

Luckily, the evening soon passed away. They had plenty to discuss, and even when they did run out of things to say, the conversation always continued after a biscuit or two, until fatigue finally got the better of them and everybody started yawning. Seto then asked Yugi and his friends to choose their beds, and so Joey agreed to share a bed with Tristan, and Yugi chivalrously offered Téa the other. After some consideration, Seto finally suggested that Yugi sleep on the writing desk: it was just big enough for him and removed any danger of somebody getting up and stepping on him in the middle of the night. The sharing didn't stop there, however: Joey, Tristan and Téa gave their bed-linen to Yugi and Seto so they could cushion their own hard resting spots, and soon, everybody laid down to rest. The four friends covered up with the brothers' towels, and Seto draped his overcoat on himself and Mokuba, who ended up sleeping in his brother's arms because there was no more room for him on the makeshift bed.

"Ani-chan? Am I very heavy?" Mokuba whispered anxiously once the darkness swallowed them. Seto's heartbeat was fierce beneath him, and he could feel all his ribs under the pajamas.

"Not at all," replied Seto quietly, closing his eyes. "Sleep well."

"Good night," whispered Mokuba, laying his bushy head on Ani-chan's shoulder and curling up. His brother's warmth enveloped him like life-giving sunshine, and he slowly drifted away.

Seto, however, was wide awake. He lay still for hours so his little brother could sleep peacefully, but his heart ached so much and his sorrows were so many that he thought he was going to die, and he wasn't the only one who laid himself to rest with a heavy heart that night. Not too far from the dorm, Mokuba Kaiba was lying awake in agony, and just like Seto, he, too, was inconsolable.

"_Way to go, Seto!_" he snapped at his brother when the line disconnected for good. Kaiba listened in silence, his head arched forward and his lips pursed. "Why can't you ever be nice? Why can't you ever _behave_, Seto? Just because you're king of the world back home doesn't mean you can treat everyone like a doormat! If they don't come tomorrow and anything happens to them, it'll be _your_ fault, and then I'll, I'll never forgive you! _Never!_" he cried, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wet, and then stormed out of the room, slamming the door.

Kaiba had searched the entire building before he found him crouching in a corridor, his knees pulled up and his arms wrapped around him like some wild, stray kitten. Kaiba wasn't even angry at him; by the time he had found him, all he wanted was for Mokuba to come back to the room, but his little brother refused to speak or move. Kaiba pleaded in vain: he was obstinate and kept his eyes on the floor so he wouldn't have to look his brother in the face. In the end, Kaiba had no choice but to carry him back upstairs – his little brother was kicking in anger, but Kaiba didn't say a word –, but as soon as he set him down, Mokuba ran to his bed and buried himself under the covers, desperately wanting the day to end. He was heartily ashamed of himself and burst into silent tears under the covers, but it was no use. It was too late to swallow his pride, even though Kaiba begged him and sat by his bed for over an hour before he realized that all his efforts were in vain and his little brother didn't even want to look at him anymore.


	21. Split Personalities

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>SPLIT PERSONALITIES<strong>

Mokuba woke up the next morning to find himself all alone. Nii-sama's bed was empty; his coat, too, was gone from the rack. All that remained were yesterday's purchases and a letter on the nightstand that he had written at dawn, just before he left:

_I'll set everything right, Mokuba. I promise. Come to the dorm as soon as you can. If all goes well, you'll find me in the café._

_ Seto_

The sky was still dark when Kaiba passed through the entrance hall. The receptionist was reading the papers and didn't even notice the black-clad young man carrying his coat on his left arm so he wouldn't catch anyone's eye. The stairwell was empty and silent as Kaiba headed upstairs, until he ran into a group of boys on the second half-space landing, trotting down in track suits for their morning jog. One of them stopped him: a burly, bored-looking senior.

"Hey, Seto," grunted the boy.

"Good morning," replied Kaiba, reserved but polite.

"Your party turn out okay?"

"Yes. …Thank you."

"Welcome. Listen, when can you pay me back? I don't want to rush you, but we're going to the square tonight and I could use the extra."

Kaiba stared at him confused for a moment, but soon made the connection, and the thought that Seto borrowed money to treat Yugi and his friends made his chest feel tight.

"…How much do I owe you again?" he asked carefully.

"Five fifty. Not much, but worth a drink or two."

Kaiba suppressed a sigh and slipped a casual hand in his pocket; thanks to yesterday's expenditures, he had a handful of coins, some of which now exchanged hands.

"Here," he said, and since he wasn't fond of loose change anyway, he added a couple more.

"I think you miscounted," said the other, his forehead creasing as he counted the coins with a finger.

"Consider it a token of my gratitude."

"You're mental…"

"Just take it. Have a good weekend," said Kaiba, shaking hands with the boy before he continued his journey upstairs, glad that there were at least some decent people in this world. He could hardly wait to see Seto face to face now, and so he hurried upstairs and didn't stop until he reached the room. He held his breath as he pressed his ear to the door, but all was silent on the other side, and so he took out the duplicate key, carefully unlocked the door, and slipped in without a sound.

If he had thought there was too little space before, he now felt all the more how miserable that tiny room was. There were sleeping bodies everywhere, and Téa seemed to be the only one who had spent the night in relative comfort. Joey and Tristan were a snoring tangle of limbs, one of Yugi's arms was hanging off the desk, and Seto lay on the ground with his little brother in his arms as though he had fallen in battle. Kaiba felt a warm, dull pang in his heart as he kneeled beside them and carefully lifted the overcoat, staring at Seto's skeletal hands, the dark circles under his eyes, and how he could hardly breathe under Mokuba's weight. He was almost sorry to wake him, and so he folded his trench coat in half as slowly as possibly, laying it on the floor, and then gently lifted the bony, feather-light younger sibling and gingerly tucked him into it. Mokuba stirred a little in his sleep, but the lining was comfortable and warm; his small hands sank into the silky fabric, and soon he was breathing peacefully again. Only then did Kaiba turn back to Seto. He could almost hear his bones rattle as he gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

Seto slept but three hours last night, and so he came around very slowly, and when he first opened his eyes, one could tell he had no idea where he was. He managed to prop himself on his elbows with some difficulty and rubbed at his eyes, finally looking up, and then flinched hard as though he had been doused with ice water. He almost cried out in surprise, but Kaiba was faster, and the next moment, he clamped a hand on his mouth and pressed his head back onto the pillow, while his other hand spread out over his chest, just above his heart.

"Don't shout!" he whispered to the spooked, breathless Seto, who tried to peel off Kaiba's hands in vain; his lax fingers could curl around the steel arm guards, but could neither clench nor push them away. Grasping at the cold metal felt as though he were fighting off an android, and for a long moment, he stared wide eyed into that smooth, carefully guarded face – his own perfected reflection. Kaiba's prying glance felt uncomfortable, and Seto glanced around searching for Mokuba. His little brother was still sound asleep – that was Seto's only consolation.

"Do you promise not to wake the others?" whispered Kaiba. Seto nodded in defeat, and as Kaiba released him, he quickly sat up to glare at him. His chest was still rising and falling sharply, his cheeks flushed in shame for having been spooked so badly.

"How did you get in?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Spare key," replied Kaiba. Seto furrowed his brow.

"Why did you come here? I don't need your help, and I don't want to talk to you."

Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment. He swallowed. "I came to apologize."

"Please go away," came the self-conscious reply.

"I ask for half an hour," said Kaiba, almost tentatively. "_Half an hour_. We go for a walk, and if I can't make things up to you, I promise I'll go away. …Please."

Seto glared at him, his cheeks still flushed, but Kaiba stood his ground easily. Seto somehow seemed younger and more defenseless than he first thought, and when he finally lowered his eyes, Kaiba almost felt guilty for forcing his will upon him. It felt as though he had broken the resistance of a child. Were his eyes really that large and sad? Had he ever been this fragile…?

"Fine," said Seto, his voice thick, and lowered his head so he wouldn't have to look his counterpart in the eye. "I'll get dressed in a minute."

"Dress warmly, it's cold outside," Kaiba let slip, and awkward silence settled between them. Seto crept silently to the wardrobe and took out some clean clothes, getting dressed in one of the corners, while Kaiba quickly scribbled a note for the others and laid it on Seto's bed, right next to Mokuba's head. When Seto was ready, he let him out and locked the door behind him as though the room were his. It made Seto uncomfortable, almost resentful as he watched.

"You have half an hour," he reminded him, his tone sulky.

"Let's make it half an hour after we get outside."

"…Alright."

The receptionist was still reading when the two Setos left. He caught Kaiba from the corner of his eye as he marched across the entrance hall, his back straight and his head arched forward, and greeted him kindly, only to nearly fall off his chair when Seto passed him a moment later, replying instead of Kaiba in a forlorn, resigned tone. The receptionist stared after him dumbfounded as he shuffled out with his shoulders hunched, following… whoever it was he saw first, and then decided fatigue must be playing tricks on his eyes, and made himself another coffee just in case.

Seto could have used a cup himself. He followed Kaiba outside like a sleepwalker, only coming around once they entered the park and the sharp morning wind laid into them. He was cold under his coat, but Kaiba didn't even flinch, and that only seemed to irritate Seto even more.

"Well?" he asked sharply, folding his thin arms over his chest. There was a look of sullen anger on his face: strange, childish, and somehow heart-breaking.

"…I'm sorry about last night," Kaiba said slowly, as though every word required conscious effort on his part. Seto listened with his eyes narrowed. "If I had known you would _take it to heart_, I would have held back."

"It was not about me taking it to heart!" snapped Seto. "You should have held back because they are your friends, and decent people don't talk to their friends that way!"

"They are _not_ my friends," said Kaiba sharply.

"Yugi politely asked for your help, and you insulted him and turned him away! Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me?" cried Seto, letting lose the anger that had been brewing in his heart since last evening. "Do you have an idea how awful it was to find out that _this is what I'm like?_"

Kaiba bared his teeth as though he had been struck in the face.

"We are not the same person!" he said, full of wounded pride. "You are nothing like me!"

"Well, good, because I would never want to _be_ like _you_!" retorted Seto with growing anger. He didn't even think about what he was saying: he merely wanted to cause pain, and he was surprised at how easy it was when he really wanted to.

"You don't even know me!" Kaiba spoke in shock.

"And I don't _want_ to get to know you!" retorted Seto. "I've heard enough last night to know that you are a heartless, unfeeling jerk, and you disgust me! I wish I never had anything to do with you!"

Kaiba felt his face flush. His hands slowly clenched into fists, boiling with anger.

"That's enough!" he snapped at Seto, so fiercely that his counterpart grew pale and sank into scared silence. "I've had enough of this! Do you even comprehend what you're saying? You get angry at me for the way I treated Yugi and the others, and then you go and talk to me the same way? Just how does that make you better than me, Seto? Answer me! What have you ever done in your life that made you even one bit superior to me? You don't even know who I am: you've never been in my place and never walked down the road I have, because if you had, you wouldn't be scraping by in a miserable, rat hole dorm room with your starving little brother_ who deserves better!"_

Seto's eyes turned glassy. He felt as though each word had seized him by the soul and wrenched his heart from his chest. He didn't have a single drop of pride that could have deflected the blow and dispelled the accusation that came _from_ _his mouth, in his voice_, and cut him to the core, for he had lived with that knowledge every single day, never daring to speak it for fear that his guilt would win one day, leaving him crushed underneath. It was as if his conscience had come to life, glaring him haughtily in the eye, piercing into his soul, and Seto was nothing short of terrified of him. How could he possibly defend himself to somebody who had started out just like him, but got further and achieved more than most people did in their entire lives? What excuse could he possibly have when he could hardly even feed his little brother, though Mokuba would have deserved everything in the world? Nothing. _Nothing…_

Seto stared at Kaiba thunderstruck, and then took a step backwards. Kaiba's body tensed, and the next moment, Seto turned around and broke into a sprint to try and escape him. However, Kaiba anticipated him and was faster on his feet: he ran after him and caught him by the arm in a matter of seconds.

"I'm not letting you run away from this!" cried Kaiba, his tone furious as he yanked him backwards and held him tight. Seto squirmed helplessly in his grasp; his fear and determination were no match for Kaiba's strength and anger.

"You wanted to fight, so come on, Seto! Face me!" Kaiba snapped at him and held him even tighter until he could almost feel his ribs under the overcoat. Seto's resistance was fading; on the verge of his breakdown, he wouldn't have cared if Kaiba hurt him, so long as he did not have to look him in the eye…

"Fight back!" demanded Kaiba, grabbing his counterpart's arm to turn the limp, trembling Seto around. He found himself staring into a pair of defeated, lifeless eyes, and for one moment, Kaiba was almost afraid of him. It felt as if he held a small piece of his soul in his grasp: a piece he had buried alive when he was just a child so nobody could hurt it anymore. Seto hung his head, his eyes brimming with tears. Kaiba watched him terrified.

"Stand up for yourself…" he begged his tortured, crying self. "Where's your pride…?"

Seto whipped his hands up, but Kaiba pushed his arms back too far for him to try to bury his face in his palms. Kaiba shook him. Seto gave a small, strangled cry.

"Seto… _say something_."

"_I meant well, I swear…_" came the stammering, contrite confession. "I thought everything would be alright, but I failed… it's all my fault… _I'm so ashamed…_"

He stared up at Kaiba, his eyes begging for mercy, and he sobbed.

"I tried so hard… I worked… I gave up everything just so we could… eat… but it was never enough… nothing was good enough… because _I_ wasn't good enough…"

"Stop it…" breathed Kaiba, his blood curdling.

"It was all in vain… everything's ruined… I wanted it so badly… but it's no use… I mustn't even think of it… _because it's_ _killing me…_"

"_Stop it!_" Kaiba snapped at him, no longer in anger but in shame, and the next moment, just as Seto went limp and was about to collapse, he instinctively reached out and clutched him to his chest, fearing he might fall too deep and he would lose him forever. He pinned him down with one arm to keep him standing, pressing Seto's head to his shoulder with his other hand and brushing his fingers clumsily, almost roughly through his hair, over and over again, and Seto buried his face in his shoulder, convulsing as he sobbed. He hadn't had anybody to lift him up since he was little, and now he did, and he held onto Kaiba as if the ground had been torn from under his feet and everything else had ceased to exist… and suddenly, he hardly knew how, his pain was ripped from his body, rolling away with his tears. Nothing remained in its place but emptiness that slowly began to swell with something he hadn't known since his father had died – the feeling of _safety_. _Maybe this is what it's like to be a little brother_, he thought, cracking a pained little smile. _Nii-sama_ finally came for him, and Seto wanted to hold on to him forever. It nearly killed him when Kaiba had enough of the embrace and carefully pried him off. He was afraid he would not be able to stand, but Kaiba still held him by the arms, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"You are more than good, Seto," he said quietly. Seto, sniffling, averted his eyes. "You have no idea how much you've accomplished and how close you are to having a better life. You just have to hold on a little longer."

Seto lifted his head carefully to look at him, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

"Let me help you," pleaded Kaiba. "You know I can help you: I'm the _only _one who can, and I promise that as long as I am here, I will take care of you and Mokuba. You are very close to having everything turn out just fine, you just have to _trust_ me."

Seto tried to speak, but his throat felt too tight. Kaiba gave his arm another squeeze, and Seto let out a shaky sigh.

"I'll protect you and set things right, Seto. I promise. All I ask is that you _trust me_," said Kaiba, his voice low, his features softer but steadfast as he looked him in the eye. Seto's neck and chest were still convulsing; he tried to speak but what came out instead were hiccups, and in the end, all he could do was nod. He took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, and Kaiba gave his arms one more reassuring squeeze before he let him go.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, as though he were talking to Mokuba. Seto was still struggling with his hiccups and wiped at his eyes like an overgrown child, and Kaiba would have given anything in the world by now never to see him cry again. He decided that he had talked enough, and hoped that time and breakfast would help fix what his words couldn't smooth away, as Mokuba himself had told him many times that pep talks had never been his forte.

"Come on… I'm buying you breakfast," he said quietly, putting a careful arm behind Seto's shoulder. "If you like, you can have a cookie, too," he added as he gently ushered him towards the café he and Mokuba discovered yesterday. Seto humbly let himself be guided.

"What about… the others?" he asked between hiccups.

"Oh, alright, they can have a cookie, too. Except Wheeler, he gets a dog biscuit."

Seto didn't see that one coming and snorted in laughter, cupping a hand over his mouth. He flushed in embarrassment that he could laugh at such a thing, but much like hiccups, he couldn't contain his laughter, either. Kaiba squinted at him, smirking.

"That's the spirit," he said, patting his shoulder. "Now come on, before we starve to death."


	22. Breakfast at Epiphany's

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>BREAKFAST AT EPIPHANY'S<strong>

Ten minutes later, they settled down at one of the tables on the patio, just opposite the park. Kaiba was sipping a large cup of steaming hot espresso and Seto was gratefully nibbling away at a giant chocolate chip cookie he got on top of his already generous breakfast. Kaiba even got him a glass of milk to go with, and Seto dunked the small chunks he broke off with childlike joy. He couldn't even remember the last time he ate something like this.

"How is it?" asked Kaiba once he started on his own, more modest breakfast.

"It's heaven," replied Seto between small bites. "Is this what it's like to be rich?"

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't," came the stoic reply.

"I think I could get used to it…" mused Seto, and they continued to eat in silence until he mustered enough courage to bring up the subject that had been troubling him since yesterday.

"Seto?" Ani-chan broke the silence at last. "In the letter, you said you were going to—"

"_Crush the competition_," replied Kaiba. "My plan remains unchanged. I'll change clothes and duel in your place."

"But you could get hurt!" said Seto, his eyes wide. "They beat me up when I won last year, and I don't want that to happen to you, too… You have been too good to me as it is, this is too much…!"

"Wrong. I couldn't do anything less," Kaiba replied with artless sincerity. "There is nothing more important than you and Mokuba right now, and you are in danger. If you thought I would just sit back and let anybody lay even one finger on you, then you don't know me at all."

Seto's chest rose and fell as though it were one large, beating heart. Kaiba tensed, afraid that all his efforts to calm him down might go to waste at this rate.

"Don't worry…" he continued, forcing his tone to be calm. "I've been in situations much worse than this one, and I always managed to succeed. Trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you," came Seto's self-conscious reply.

"Then what is it?"

"It's just that this situation is so unjust. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have accepted his challenge that day… I should have known better," said Seto, lowering his head,, only to be scolded immediately by Kaiba.

"Yugi Muto treated you like dirt and you blame yourself? Come on! You're not responsible for the sins of others, Seto. You were forced into an unfair duel, and against all odds, you defeated Muto. If he were an honorable duelist, he would have acknowledged your superior skills or requested a rematch, but instead, he chose to act like a cowardly snake. This is all his fault, not yours, and I'm going to teach him a lesson."

"It's still not fair…" said Seto, his voice strained.

"Of course it's not fair. I didn't expect anything else from someone like that, and this is why _I_ have to face him. He plays underhandedly, and wants an uneven fight. Well, I'm going to get even."

"But you wouldn't have to face him if I… if I wasn't so hopeless. If you had any reason to believe I could do this on my own, you wouldn't have taken this upon yourself."

"Seto." Kaiba's tone was harsh, but Seto hardly felt it. "You know it's not about that. I wouldn't let you near him if you had years of experience and your own deck,'" he said, stopping for a moment to find the right words. "I can't risk you getting hurt. I promised myself I would protect you at all costs and that's what I'm going to do. There's no use arguing about it: I'm not going to change my mind."

Seto's throat was too tight to speak, but his eyes and face said it all. His hand slipped to his heart, his fingers closing on the locket in their path. Kaiba watched him pensively.

"Now _I_'d like to ask _you_ something," he said. Seto hummed. "Your locket…"

Seto blinked, realizing just now that Kaiba has a locket, too. He opened his and showed him the picture inside: it was Mokuba, alright, but instead of playing chess, he was sitting outdoors, perhaps on top of a stairs, and from the way he sat, he must have been photographed nestling to his brother. His knees were dirty, perhaps bloody, but he was grinning from ear to ear. All that was visible of Seto was his arm around his little brother.

"Mokuba gave it to me," explained Seto. "On my sixteenth birthday. I saved up my money to buy him a coat and new clothes, but he was adamant we should buy_ me_ something. When I refused to spend money on myself… I said something like he had to have the best things money could buy… he dipped into my savings and had this made for me. He has one just like it, but that has my picture inside. He said… that _I_ was his best thing."

Seto's voice died away by the time he finished. Kaiba, too, was silent.

"What about yours?" asked Seto, obviously curious. Kaiba felt his shoulders tense.

"I'll tell you sometime," he said, his tone definite. "I have one more question for you. Have you ever met Gozaburo Kaiba?"

Seto seemed puzzled at first, but then realized why his counterpart asked, and his hand clasped around the locket even tighter.

"Once, long ago, at the orphanage. I must have been ten years old."

"Care to tell me about it?"

"Sure," replied Seto, trying to gather his thoughts. "It all began when we started playing chess with Mokuba. I loved chess, so we played often, and Mokuba kept encouraging me because I was getting better and kept winning every game. And then one day, they announced at the orphanage that Gozaburo Kaiba was going to pay us a visit because he had won a chess championship and he was going to donate a portion of his winnings to the orphanage."

Kaiba nodded slowly. So far, everything added up.

"They said that Gozaburo was the best chess player in the world, but Mokuba said I could beat him. He probably didn't mean it, but I did like the idea of asking him to play a game with me when he would come to visit. I liked the idea that he was a wealthy man and yet he still cared for the orphans, and that he liked to play."

Kaiba sighed with resentment. Seto continued, his tone self-conscious.

"Mokuba said we might even get lucky if I managed to grab Gozaburo's attention. He said that maybe my chess skills would impress him and then he might adopt us. Is that how he adopted you?"

"Not exactly," Kaiba replied dryly. "I challenged him to a chess game and we made a bet that if I won, he would adopt both of us that very day, no questions asked. I won."

Seto smiled faintly, but his smile soon faded away.

"And then the big day came and Gozaburo arrived. Most of the children had already been assembled into one of the bigger rooms, but we were still in the small classroom playing chess. And then we saw from the window that a limousine had arrived and we snuck to the door, hoping he would come our way so we could speak to him."

"And?" asked Kaiba when Seto grew quiet, lost in his memories.

"We never spoke to him," Seto said quietly, his eyes distant. "As he passed by the door, he was talking to the director and he said something like he didn't want any of those filthy brats touching him because he only came to take some pictures for the papers, and that the orphanage reeked because they probably didn't bathe us. And then Mokuba turned to me and said that Gozaburo was a monster and he didn't want me to go anywhere near him. So we stayed in the classroom, and Gozaburo left without ever knowing we were there."

Now it was Kaiba's turn to be silent. He, too, remembered those words and knew that if he had asked for Mokuba's opinion at that moment, he would have heard the same thing, and maybe, _maybe_ he might have changed his mind. But he didn't ask for his little brother's opinion and quickly banished Gozaburo's words from his mind. All he could think of at the time was that he had to win because the man was rich enough to provide for two children and he couldn't bear to stay at that miserable orphanage any longer. Seto stared at his creased forehead, the dull anger in his eyes with alarm; he was almost too afraid to speak to him.

"Seto… can I ask you something?" Kaiba hummed. "You took the risk I never dared to take. Do you think I've made a big mistake when I didn't challenge Gozaburo?" asked Seto, obviously dreading the answer.

Kaiba pondered this in silence for a while before looking his counterpart in the eye. His own eyes were grave and somehow soulless; for a moment, for just one moment, he imagined Seto in Gozaburo's grasp, and he had to realize that Seto would have perished in his stepfather's house along with Mokuba, had it not been for the words of a five-year-old child. His life may have been hard, but he was saved – he was here, healthy and unscarred, and_ he was his_. He wasn't tainted by Gozaburo. This Seto could still smile and laugh (_Mokuba will be so happy…_), and Kaiba didn't even mind answering his question. He could see in Seto's eyes that the idea had been torturing him for seven years; this was Gozaburo's only legacy, and Kaiba was secretly glad that he had the power to erase it forever.

"Do you promise that this stays between us?" he asked him.

"Of course," nodded Seto, looking alarmed.

"Let me show you something," Kaiba said quietly, and turning to the light, he tilted his head back. Seto's eyes widened. He saw countless long, faint scars crisscrossing the skin under his counterpart's jaw: lasting mementos from the switchblade he was punished and spurred with because his stepfather was determined to raise an animal instead of a son. Seto's lips trembled. Kaiba arched his head forward and the scars disappeared in the shadow of his jaw line.

"Tell me Mokuba wasn't…" Seto pleaded in dread.

"No. Just me," Kaiba replied quietly.

"I'm sorry," said Seto, his heart clenching.

"Don't be. It was my own doing, though I had no idea what I volunteered for at the time. I did it for Mokuba. I thought we'd have a better life if we were adopted by a rich man."

"Does he know what they did to you?"

"No. And it's best that he never finds out."

A short silence settled between them. Kaiba sat in silence, his head lowered, and Ani-chan watched him with concern; he would have given anything to take back the insults that he had so carelessly hurled at him before. He carefully put his hand on Kaiba's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Their eyes met, and Seto flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Your little brother must be very proud of you," he said affectionately.

"I hope he is," came the quiet reply. "I've fought very hard to be worth looking up to."


	23. All Together Now

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>ALL TOGETHER NOW<strong>

They continued their breakfast in silence, savoring their food and enjoying the calm of the early hours. There was no need for words – they knew, or at least they felt that they knew what the other was thinking of. However, the silence was soon broken when a sudden cry rang across the park.

"_Nii-sama!_"

Both jerked their heads up at once. Mokuba was running towards them with a relieved smile on his face, gathering so much momentum that he nearly collided with the table. His eyes shone brightly as he looked from one Seto to the other as though he hardly dared believe that two Setos smiled back at him: one with a genial, innocent smile, and the other with harder features but all the more affection.

"Hi, Mokuba," the two Setos said in chorus. Mokuba grinned and gave his Nii-sama a hug (yesterday's anger seemed to be ancient history now), and then walked around the table to greet the other brother, too. Seto kneeled down to him, reaching out his hand.

"I'm happy to meet you," he said kindly. Mokuba happily shook his hand and then, just like that, he jumped into his arms and embraced him.

"I'm so glad you came!" he said fiercely, giving Seto a firm squeeze before he let him go. "I was so worried last night that we wouldn't meet at all…"

"I'm very glad I came," Seto replied. his voice soft.

"Can I call you Seto? I hope you don't mind me not calling you Nii-sama…"

Seto cracked an embarrassed smile, blushing very slightly.

"Just call me Seto, Mokuba. My own little brother wouldn't call me Nii-sama."

"Really?" blinked Mokuba. "What _does_ he call you then?"

"Ani-chan."

There was a loud crash as Kaiba nearly dropped his coffee cup in shock. Mokuba giggled.

"Ani-chan? Really?" he said, giving his own brother a mischievous look. Kaiba shot him a sharp glare, and so Mokuba decided not to take any risks and turned back to Seto, who was smiling in silence.

"It suits you very well, actually," he said kindly, and then added, his tone cheeky, "Unlike Nii-sama, you can actually smile without flinching."

"Very funny, Mokuba," muttered Kaiba.

"It's funny because it's true," his little brother said with an innocent grin and winked at Ani-chan, who tried and failed to hide his smile.

"Mokuba, go inside and get yourself breakfast," said Kaiba, putting an end to the conversation.

"What should I get?" his little brother asked obediently.

"Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want…?"

"It has to be a breakfast item."

"Aaaw!"

"_Mokuba…!_"

"Alright, I'm going… Can I get you anything?"

"One more coffee each."

"Okay, Nii-sama."

Mokuba soon perched himself between the two Setos and was just about to start on his breakfast when they lifted their heads, staring at something behind his back. Mokuba turned around and his face brightened even more when he saw Yugi and his friends coming towards them through the park, led by his very own doppelganger. As soon as they had read Kaiba's message, they gathered their things and left. They even brought the trench coat – Joey wore it over his shoulders like a cape just to annoy Kaiba.

"Good morning!" Yugi called out when they finally got close enough. Seto smiled and waved, while Kaiba leant back in his chair nonchalantly, his eyes on Seto's little brother, who merely nodded to him and Mokuba as he hurried to his brother's side and let Seto pull him into a hug.

"Is everything alright, Ani-chan?" he asked with concern.

"Everything's fine, Mokuba. I mean it," Seto replied softly. His little brother seemed satisfied and finally turned to examine his own counterpart, the two taking to each other instantly.

In the meantime, Kaiba finally noticed who had his coat and rose from the table.

"Why are you wearing my coat, Wheeler?"

"Not for the smell of your cologne, that's fer sure," Joey replied in a light tone as he handed over the trench coat. Kaiba took it with a sour expression.

"Great, now I'll have to take it to the dry-cleaners along with the flea colony you left inside," he said with a pained look, his eyes flashing scornfully. Joey gritted his teeth and was ready to retort, but then Kaiba put his coat down and straightened himself.

"Everybody listen up!" he said aloud. "Whoever wants to have breakfast should go inside and order right now. I'm buying."

Joey didn't know what to say to that. Neither did the others.

"Is this for real?" asked Tristan, shocked as can be.

"Is there a problem?" asked Kaiba, his tone a little impatient.

"No, of course not!" replied Yugi. "Thank you."

"Then go inside and order. Order as a group. I'll go after you in a minute."

"You heard him! Food's up!" cried Tristan and immediately hurried inside. Téa and Yugi just shook their heads and followed him. Joey hesitated, squinting at Kaiba as if suspecting a trap.

"You too, Wheeler, unless you'd rather have dog food," said Kaiba with a scornful grin.

"That's it, I'm gonna eat up the whole counter just fer that!" Joey vowed as he marched in looking morose but feeling rather content since he was starving. Only one person remained behind: Seto's little brother, who now walked over to Kaiba to finally take a good look at him. Kaiba didn't kneel down to him, and neither of them offered their hands; they merely stared at each other in silence.

"So, you are Kaiba," said Mokuba to the proud-looking older brother.

"And you're Mokuba," said Kaiba. Both of them instinctively straightened themselves, much to Ani-chan's and the younger Kaiba brother's amusement.

"Thank you for being good to my brother," said Mokuba after a moment of silence. "He means the world to me."

Kaiba cracked a hard but pleasant smile. Mokuba liked the look of him very much.

"Don't mention it," he said quietly. "It was my pleasure."

Only then did Mokuba return his smile and finally hold out his hand, which Kaiba took in a gentle but firm handshake.

"Go inside and order anything you'd like," said Kaiba when they let go. "I'm coming, too."

They soon gathered on the patio again, pulling four small tables and lots of chairs together so that they could all sit down comfortably. The two Setos remained roughly where they were, the two Mokubas sat between them so they could keep on chatting, and the others settled opposite them with neatly laden trays. Joey tried to make good on his word and ordered more than anybody else; however, Kaiba tricked him and deemed the "surplus" free for all, and in the end, Joey was forced to fight off Tristan and Ani-chan's little brother to keep at least some of it for himself. Everybody else ate in silence. They were all famished, and the two Setos were mostly quiet as they sipped their coffee; Ani-chan didn't say anything because he could hardly speak from joy now that his little brother could finally have a decent breakfast, and Nii-sama didn't need to speak because he was practically glowing with pride now that all three siblings were happy and provided for.

"Thank you for breakfast," said Yugi once they had polished off everything and were having their second cup of coffee, also courtesy of Kaiba.

"Thank Seto," replied Kaiba. "This is primarily my way of compensating him for last night, since he had gone through so much trouble for you."

Seto blushed slightly. The others smiled.

"They started it. They took us out to dinner last night," he said quietly. "They were very good to us."

The four friends smiled innocently, obviously grateful for his words. Kaiba's eyebrow quirked slightly for a moment, but then put on a dry smirk once again.

"Well, I'm glad they managed to be of _some use_ yesterday."

"Oh yeah? And what did _you_ do yesterday, moneybags?" retorted Joey a little resentfully. "Besides makin' a complete ass of yourself over the phone, that is."

"If you must know, Wheeler, I was running errands all day while you were all just wandering around like sheep because apparently, you're a really lousy sheep dog."

"Seto…!" Ani-chan chided him, his tone soft but firm. Kaiba rolled his eyes, but said no more, and Joey did his best not to show his annoyance over Kaiba's remark, sending Seto a grateful grin instead.

"But Kaiba, I thought Kaiba Corp wasn't your company anymore," said Yugi, puzzled.

"Who said anything about running errands for Kaiba Corp?" Kaiba replied flatly.

"Then what _did_ you do?"

"First I had to figure out where Seto lived," explained Kaiba, conspicuously growing tired of their questions. "Then we found the letter at the dorm and I decided to take Seto's place, so we bought some clothes for me and then booked a room for the night."

"That's what you did all day?" asked Tristan.

"Not just that," said Mokuba. "We also went to—"

"—the city and spent a nice day in alternative Domino," Kaiba interrupted him with scathing sarcasm. "_Stop asking questions already._"

"We also ran into Téa's counterpart," was Mokuba's next attempt. Téa looked at him alarmed.

"What was I like? I mean, what was my counterpart like?" she asked, sounding self-conscious.

"…Friendly," came Kaiba's careful reply as he glared at his little brother. Mokuba blushed.

"Yes. Very friendly," he humbly agreed, and Téa seemed satisfied.

"So, what now?" asked Yugi, joining the conversation once again. "Do you have a plan?"

"I will change clothes and leave around half past two," replied Kaiba. "I'm taking my own deck and I will face Yugi Muto in a duel. That's the plan."

All three siblings looked at him with concern, and the others, with mild alarm.

"I hope you know what you're doing," said Yugi quietly.

"I'm doing what I have to do," replied Kaiba, and the others went silent, knowing that there was nothing to say to that, and, perhaps, that nothing needed to be said at all. "And now I want you all to decide how you want to spend the morning, because I'm taking everybody to lunch at noon and then I have to go," said Kaiba and, since there were no objections, he stood up from the table and breakfast was adjourned.


	24. Operation Doppelganger

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>OPERATION DOPPELGANGER<strong>

Time flew, unmeasured and unperceived, and Saturday morning soon turned to noon. Kaiba kept his promise: he gathered the others and took the whole party out for lunch. Yugi and his friends protested at first, but Kaiba would not take no for an answer, and so everyone thanked him and they all ate together again. When they returned to the dorm, the weather had turned sunny and mild, and so everyone settled down in the park while Kaiba and Mokuba ran up to Seto and Mokuba's room to gather their things so Kaiba could change clothes before they left.

Ten minutes later, they returned. Mokuba walked ahead, lugging a huge shopping bag with his brother's real clothes and folded trench coat, while Kaiba was following close behind wearing the second-hand clothes from yesterday. The others stared at them very impressed – the two Setos looked almost identical now. There was only one obvious, sad difference besides Ani-chan's fragile frame: although they imitated each other very well, Kaiba couldn't smile as warmly as Seto. He tried again and again, but his lips stayed stiff and his eyes remained cold, and Mokuba wasn't the only one who noticed the painful difference.

The eight of them set off for the school at half past two, divided into groups of two and taking four different routes not to be discovered: Joey and Tristan, Yugi and Téa, and the two Setos with their respective siblings. They were fortunate enough not to run into enemies, though there still some surprises. Joey and Tristan were forced to hide in a bookshop when they noticed Duke Devlin heading in their direction on the other side of the street, and Kaiba and Mokuba ran into Téa on the shopping avenue.

"I liked your suit better," said Téa as she approached them.

"I know. I saw," replied Kaiba, allowing himself a haughty little smile. Téa squinted at him good-naturedly, and as they passed each other and Mokuba grinned at her, she reached out and patted his head.

Once everybody arrived safe and sound, they gathered by the huge hedge on the left side of the school yard. It was thick enough for them to easily hide behind and still have a few hidden windows to the yard, where Wheeler and Taylor were carrying three chairs to a card table in the middle of the school yard. Yugi Muto was already standing by the table, waiting for his chair with his arms folded over his chest. The whole group watched them intensely, and then stared in silent astonishment as a fourth figure appeared from beyond the shadows – Ryou, for whom the third chair was intended. He staged a yawn as he received his chair by the table, opposite the two playing fields. There was a malicious smile on his face.

"Ryou?" blurted Tristan. "What is _he_ doing here? Could it be that he's actually the real Bakura?"

"I don't think so, Tristan," replied Yugi. "If that were him, then the Pharaoh would have to be in this world, too, but we haven't seen him anywhere. This must be the Ryou who lives here. I wonder what he has to do with any of this."

"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care," replied Kaiba. "It's time for me to go. I mustn't keep my opponent waiting…" he said, his tone somber, and his fingers clenched around his deck before he sank it into his pocket. Only then did Yugi realize how strange it was that Kaiba had no duel disk on his arm. He could hardly remember the last time he dueled without one – the idea that this game could still be played at a table without holograms seemed almost alien to him now.

"Yugi," Kaiba turned to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Take care of my brother." He looked up for a moment, and his eyes met Seto's. 'All of my brothers.'

Yugi nodded bravely, wishing him good luck, and Seto watched with a sinking heart as Kaiba slowly turned around and took off alongside the hedge to face the enemy.

"Nii-sama!" Seto suddenly called out and hurried after him. The others watched him half surprised, half touched. "Be very careful, Nii-sama."

"I will. Don't worry," replied Kaiba, his tone calm. Seto stared at him with a dull pang in his heart and gave him a careful, awkward hug; Kaiba, self-conscious though he was in front of the others, carefully returned it, patting him gently on the shoulder. The two Mokubas walked over to them as well, and when Kaiba gingerly broke away form Seto's embrace, they, too, gave him a squeeze. Nii-sama ran a hand through their hair, kneeling down to them.

"Stay with Seto," he said to them, his voice low. "This won't take long. I promise."

"Good luck, Nii-sama," said his little brother.

"Show no mercy," added Mokuba. Kaiba nodded as he stood up and left. Seto and the two Mokubas stared after him alarmed. Ani-chan softly pulled them to his side; they stood there like a broken family who had just said goodbye to a loved one going to war. The others watched them with heavy hearts.

"Don't screw this up, rich boy," sighed Joey, rubbing his eyes. As he looked at the three siblings, he felt he would have given anything for Kaiba to come back safe and sound.

Within half a minute, Kaiba had turned left and they lost sight of him; there was no turning back now as he headed towards the hostile group in the yard. Seto pulled his little brothers closer – all three of them were shivering. Kaiba may have felt, but showed no fear; he marched across the yard, tall and proud, savage anger burning in his eyes.

"Finally!" scoffed Yugi Muto. Kaiba stopped by the side of the table opposite him, staring his opponent down. His eyes spoke of resentment, his features hardening, but his posture seemed relaxed and his hands hung idly by his side, as though there was going to be no duel at all. He could tell that Muto was annoyed by his cool complacency; Kaiba suspected that he expected a nervous wreck that he could terrorize as he pleased.

"Here's our champion at last," Ryou purred with satisfaction, egging Muto on. Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "I've been waiting for this for quite some time."

"Is that why you're here? To watch the duel?" Kaiba asked, looking wary.

"Why not? I set it up, after all," replied Ryou, greedy anticipation in his eyes: it was the look of a man who lived to see others suffer, and enjoyed every second of it.

"I'm here because of _you? You're behind this…?_"

Kaiba bared his teeth. Ryou laughed.

"You are here because you defeated the local champion last year, and I only duel with the cream of the crop. Yugi Muto thinks it was mere luck, but I do not believe in luck, and now it's time to find out who the _real_ champion is so that I may face a worthy opponent when it is my turn to duel."

"I should have asked for a rematch a year ago, and now the time has come," said Muto, his voice low and malevolent as he slammed his deck down on the table. "Tell me, what does it feel like to know that it will soon be all over for you?"

"You tell me," replied Kaiba with a grim smile. Muto gritted his teeth.

"Stop talkin', you mutt. Just sit down an' duel already," spat Wheeler, who was still standing behind Muto with Taylor like some bodyguard. "Do you have your own deck or do _we_ have ta take pity on ya?"

"Please!" retorted Kaiba in an off-handed tone. "Why would I need _your_ pathetic decks? Especially _yours_, Wheeler. It just screams, _Look at me! I don't have enough brain cells to ever come up with a viable strategy, so I'll just leave everything to dumb luck so that I may look twice as stupid when I inevitably lose!_"

Both Joey Wheelers gritted their teeth; Tristan quickly cupped a hand over his friend's mouth just in case, while Taylor held back a snarling Wheeler hurling vicious threats at Kaiba. Seto blushed as he turned to Yugi.

"Is he always this harsh?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, but we are used to it by now. …Well, most of us are used to it," Yugi corrected himself, since Joey was still growling in Tristan's grasp.

"Have you forgotten already? I told you that if he didn't have a deck, I would lend him mine," Ryou broke the silence, starting towards Kaiba.

"I don't need it," Kaiba replied flatly, producing his deck from his pocket and watching their astonished faces with satisfaction. "I do have a deck, and I know that it's vastly superior to yours."

"Tough talk coming from lowlife scum!" said Muto. "Don't forget you ended up on the floor last time, but this time, I'm taking you six feet lower!"

"I haven't forgotten, but things change, and it's time for revenge," came Kaiba's ominous reply, and all of them assumed their places. The two opponents sat down to the table, shuffled each other's decks and then drew five cards each; Wheeler and Taylor walked to the side so that they may see the table better, and Ryou sat down to take his place as referee.

"_Let's duel!_"


	25. Cards on the Table

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>CARDS ON THE TABLE<strong>

"I'll go first," declared Yugi Muto, drawing a card and placing two cards face-down without a word. "I summon _Witty Phantom_ in attack mode," he continued, placing a third card on the field.

"It's good to finally see an intelligent face on your side," said Kaiba with a sly smirk.

"Your move," growled Muto, folding his arms over his chest.

"Then watch this!" said Kaiba, his tone challenging as he slipped a card onto his playing field. Just like the _real_ Yugi, he, too, missed the spectacular displays provided by the duel disk, but retained the style he had grown used to during holographic duels; it may have been somewhat theatrical and a perhaps overly dramatic, but it suited the game and lent dignity to the monsters that he cherished and respected. "I summon _Masked Dragon_ in attack mode! And I will equip it with the magic card _Mask of Brutality_!"

He placed the card below the monster, and _Masked Dragon_ now towered above the _Witty Phantom_, 2400 attack points to 1400.

"_Masked Dragon_, attack _Witty Phantom_!"

Kaiba imagined their clash unfold, his eyes sparking feverishly. Muto lost 1000 life points; he bared his teeth, glared at his opponent and then withdrew his card. As he did, Ryou scribbled onto a notepad – he was keeping track of the scores with obvious pleasure.

"This was just a taste of what is yet to come," Kaiba said with a sneer. "Now I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"You think I'm scared of you, you loser?" hissed Muto, drawing a card. "If you thought your _Masked Dragon_ was here to stay, you're a fool!" he spat with disdain, flipping one of his face-down cards: a magic card. "_Change of Heart_! Give me your monster."

Kaiba's eyes flashed sharply, but he guided _Masked Dragon_ onto his opponent's playing field without a word. Muto then held up a card from his hand: _Pot of Greed_. He drew two cards and showed one of them – it was a _Watapon_.

"I'll throw in this one, too," said Muto, placing it next to _Masked Dragon_ in attack mode. "And now I'll get rid of them," he continued, tossing both in the Graveyard. Kaiba did not hide his resentment at how little his opponent respected his cards, and placed the _Mask of Brutality_ into his graveyard with an air of dignity. Muto just smirked triumphantly, slamming a new card on the table.

"What do you say to a _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_?"

The others stared at them wide eyed behind the hedge, and Seto's heart jolted so fiercely he could scarcely breathe. He had dreamt of that card ever since he had seen the poster that he had to fish out a week later from the recycle bin after it was torn off and rolled into a ball. His heartbeat was furious, and as he held his little brothers closer, all he could think of was that this was not how he wanted to see it. _Not in the hands of someone like that._

Kaiba bared his teeth. Only now did he remember that Yugi Muto's grandfather used to have a _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ that he tore up himself in his own word so it would never fall into unworthy hands again… but it was still whole in this world, and Muto shamefully turned it against him. _Well, he was going to pay_. Kaiba's face changed. There was a fanatic glow in his eyes.

"If this is what you want, so be it: let's raise the stakes! If I win, I will get your _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_!"

"And just what would _I_ get if I won?" Muto asked in a condescending tone.

"Then you would get _two more!_" retorted Kaiba. Muto stared at him dumbfounded and the "real" Yugi and his friends turned pale behind the hedge; now that Kaiba had put his own beloved dragons on the line, they could not decide if the bet was an act of bravery or sheer madness on his part. Yugi Muto stared at him thunderstruck.

"You're bluffing! How could a no-count loser like you even have _one_ _Blue-Eyes_ card?!"

"One? Try _three,_" said Kaiba, his voice alarmingly calm. Muto glared him in the eye, Kaiba didn't even blink.

"Alright, you mongrel," said Muto darkly. "I'm going to win in a minute anyway, because the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ will attack you right now!"

"I will weaken him with this: go, _Shrink_!" said Kaiba, revealing his face-down card. His playing field lay empty and he had lost 1500 life points. Ryou and Muto grinned scornfully.

"Only one more turn left, I see…" laughed Muto.

"You wish," said Kaiba, tenacious as ever, and drew. "I activate my magic card: _Graceful Charity_! This allows me to draw three cards, and then discard two."

He drew and there was a glint in his eyes, conspicuously satisfied with his cards.

"I will discard these," he said, his hand almost gentle as he laid two dragons onto the Graveyard. Muto eyed him suspiciously, his mind whirling.

"And that's not all. I summon a monster face-down in defense mode. Attack _if you dare_."

Muto drew a card, his eyes flashing menacingly. He flashed a smug smirk as he placed a card face-down and then threw a monster on the table.

"Here you go: _Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress_. Say goodbye to your monster."

"Gladly," said Kaiba. "I reveal _Cyber Jar_!"

"I hope you choke…" snarled Muto.

"I would rather destroy the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ than see him in the hands of an unworthy duelist!" Kaiba said fiercely, and Muto withdrew both his monsters while Kaiba removed his _Cyber Jar_. "Now we draw five cards each, and summon as many monsters with a level of four or below as possible."

Muto was lucky: he could summon _Kuriboh_, _Mystical Elf_ and _Beta, the Magnet Warrior_ to the field, while Kaiba received _Y-Dragon Head_ and the _Ancient Lamp_, which he placed in face-down defense position. The rest of the cards were then added to their hand.

"Since you've been so helpful, I'll give you this," said Muto, showing one of his cards. He placed _Swords of Revealing Light_ on the table, and Kaiba flipped his _Lamp_. "Thank you for the three monsters. I'm sure they'll have a ball now that you're out of commission."

"We'll see," replied Kaiba, still calm, and it was his turn to draw.

"First, I place two cards face-down, and then I activate my _Ancient Lamp_'s special ability to summon _La Jinn, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp_!" he said, and once he had found the card, he placed it on the table.

"I see what you're planning, but it won't work!" Muto interrupted him.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kaiba, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm talking about you being an idiot and letting me know what cards have: you walked right into my trap! _Mind Crush_!" Muto declared with sordid pleasure, flipping one of his face-down cards.

"What?!" cried Kaiba.

"It's all thanks to you: if you had just kept quiet, I would have never guessed that somebody as worthless as you could have three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_… and I'm willing to bet that you have one in your hand right now! Thanks to my card, all I have to do is guess what card you're holding, and then every such card will go to the Graveyard!"

"Oh no…" groaned Kaiba.

"Oh yes. Put them there, go on," purred Muto, watching with satisfaction as his opponent placed his card in the Graveyard and then searched for the other two, laying them down on top of it. Kaiba could almost hear his dragons' dying roars when he parted with them. Seto wrung his hands.

"I place all of my monsters in defense mode and end my turn," Kaiba said in quiet anger.

"That's what I thought," said Muto, drawing a card. His face lit up with a greedy grin. "This is not your day, is it, Seto," he said contentedly. "I'll get rid of _Kuriboh_ and _Mystical Elf_ –here's _Buster Blader_ instead."

He placed the card on the table, giving Kaiba a sinister look. _Buster Blader_ had 2600 attack points… for now. "Tell me, how many dragons do you have in your Graveyard?"

"Six, if my calculations are correct," Ryou answered him with a saccharine smirk. "That would be, what? Three thousand extra points?"

Kaiba's eyes sparked furiously. Muto laughed at him.

"So much for your pathetic monsters. So what if they are in defense mode! _Beta_ will take your _Ancient Lamp_, and _Buster Blader_ gets your _Y-Dragon Head_!"

Kaiba withdrew his monsters.

"It's your turn, so enjoy it while you can because it won't last long," said Muto smugly. Kaiba withstood his gaze and drew a card.

"If you think you have me cornered, you're in for a surprise," he said to his opponent. "I remove _Koumori Dragon_ and _Different Dimension Dragon_ from the Graveyard, to summon this: my _Chaos Emperor Dragon_!" he said, laying down the precious card. "And now I will give up one thousand life points to active his special ability and send every card to the Graveyard, and you lose three-hundred life points for each card you had!"

The playing field lay barren and Muto realized to his horror that he had lost six cards – two from his hand and four from his side of the field. He was stripped of 1800 life points, falling from 3000 to 1200, while Kaiba had only dropped to 1500 life points from 2500.

"That will teach you to leech off my dragons!" said Kaiba, his eyes like thunder as he folded his arms over his chest.

"You'll pay for that," was Muto's angry promise as he drew a card, slapping it down in face-down defense position. He then watched with contempt as Kaiba drew, and he, too, laid his card face-down.

"I'll throw you a bone," Muto grumbled, revealing his monster: a _Morphing Jar_. He then threw away the card he drew and both of them picked up five cards. Muto laughed. "And now you're as good as dead! Here comes _Monster Reborn_ – guess what I'm bringing back."

_Buster Blader_ returned. He took his place next to the _Morphing Jar_, growing fat on Kaiba's dead dragons until he had 5100 attack points.

"So much for your pathetic strategy!" said Muto in a daze of glory. "You have lost the duel because I'm going to attack you right now!"

"Wrong!" retorted Kaiba, revealing his one and only card. "I activate my trap card: _Negate Attack_!"

Muto snarled, but his battle phase was over, and Kaiba escaped his grasp. The others, who had hardly dared to breathe as all this unfolded, now sighed in relief.

"You've only prolonged your doom, because it's about to get worse!" said Muto menacingly, throwing a new card on the table. "I will use _Cost Down_ to downgrade every monster in my hand by two levels. And now I can sacrifice the _Morphing Jar_, so I can play this."

He placed his card on the field: it was the _Dark Magician_.

"And now I'll use _Polymerization_ to fuse _Buster Blader_ and _Dark Magician_ together. Behold the _Dark Paladin_!"

The gang grew pale; they could not have found a better monster against a deck full of dragons. The _Dark Paladin_'s strength increased to 5400 attack points – it was nigh invincible.

"He'll blow you away in my next turn whether you like it or not."

"Don't be so sure," hissed Kaiba, concentrating with all his strength on drawing a good card… and he succeeded.

"I'm not afraid of your _Paladin_," he said. "He may be a strong monster, but only because he's a parasite, and I know a monster that is far superior to him in every way!"

"Then what are you waiting for, you loudmouth mutt? Show me!"

"Gladly! I activate my magic card, _Dragon's Mirror_! This allows me to remove from the game as many dragons from my Graveyard as I need to summon a fusion dragon, and I choose my three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_!"

Yugi Muto grew pale. Everyone behind the hedge squirmed with excitement, Seto staring in awe as Yugi turned to him, patting on the shoulder.

"You're getting a real treat!" he said to him kindly, genuinely happy that Kaiba could finally show the true strength of his deck. The other Yugi watched with fear as Kaiba removed his own three dragons from play.

"Show yourself, _Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_!" cried Kaiba, his eyes glowing as he put the card on display,. "I only have two dragons left in my Graveyard and one on the field – and your _Paladin_'s grown weaker…"

Ryou sneered, taking notes. The _Dark Paladin_ was reduced to 4400 points; the _Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ towered above him with 4500 attack points.

"I cannot attack you immediately, but that doesn't matter. Nothing can stop my dragon," said Kaiba. "And now I place two cards face down and summon a monster face-down in defense mode. _Good luck._"

"You'll regret that!" snarled Yugi Muto, drawing a card. "First I summon _Giant Soldier of Stone_ in attack mode! And now, I play _Heavy Storm_!"

Kaiba gritted his teeth, but he placed his destroyed face-down cards in the Graveyard without a sound. Two trap cards had now gone to waste.

"And now comes _Axe of Despair_, and I'm giving it to the _Dark Paladin_."

The _Dark Paladin_ received 1000 extra points; it was now stronger than the dragon. Kaiba's eyes glowed with helpless anger.

"Say goodbye to both monsters. _Giant Soldier of Stone_ will attack your face-down monster, and my _Paladin_ gets your stupid dragon!"

Kaiba had lost 900 points and all his creatures; he had a mere 600 life points left.

"You are pathetic," said Yugi Muto, laughing at him, Kaiba's face had gone rigid with anger. Wheeler and Taylor cackled scornfully behind his back. "You had three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_ and you couldn't even summon them, and then you brought out _this_, only for me to crush it with a single blow! You are a loser, you always have been, and as soon as I win this duel, I will crush you like the maggot you are!"

Wheeler cracked his knuckles with eager anticipation.

"Don't cha worry, puppy dog: I'll go easy on ya, after a while," he promised gleefully, while Kaiba just sat in silence, his head lowered, so very close to losing everything he had fought so hard for.


	26. Pandemonium

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>PANDEMONIUM<strong>

It was as if time had stopped completely. Seto's eyes were glassy as he stared at his cornered brother, holding the Mokubas so tightly it _hurt_, while the others trembled with anger, fists tightly clenched as they listened to their counterparts mocking Kaiba. _Don't give up, Kaiba…_ Yugi implored him in his mind. _Come on, rich boy…_ pleaded Joey on the verge of leaving his friends behind and marching out to the battlefield to teach their doppelgangers a lesson. As for Kaiba, he just sat there in grave silence, ignoring the nasty remarks and laughter until the four teenagers grew quiet, staring at him in resentment. The silence was almost deafening. Yugi Muto was beginning to lose his patience.

"Draw a card, you dog, unless you forfeit to me right now."

Kaiba placed his hand on top of his deck… and he drew, his urge to fight returning with a vengeance. He lifted his head stubbornly, glaring at his opponent, and held up the card.

"I activate my magic card: _Pot of Greed_. Now I draw two more cards," he said quietly, placing a hand on his deck. He closed his eyes. _Please, let this be what I need… for Ani-chan and Mokuba…_ He carefully checked the cards he had drawn… and his face lit up.

"This duel is over!" he said, as confident as if he had the whole world in his pocket.

"Does that mean you'll forfeit?" sneered Muto.

"On the contrary – I'm going to avenge myself so badly you won't forget it for as long as you live, because I'm going to crush you and take the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_, too!"

"Then what are you waiting for?! Show me your big trick! You don't even have a single monster in play – you don't stand a chance and you never have!"

"That's what you think!" retorted Kaiba, his tone fierce as he placed another card on the table. "I activate my magic card: _Monster Reborn_! I'll use this to bring back my _Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_!"

"What good is that going to do?!" hissed Muto when he saw the card return from the Graveyard into Kaiba's hand. "My _Paladin_ is still stronger!"

The _Dark Paladin_ remained at 5400 attack points; the _Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ faced it with 4500 attack points.

"I know that your _Paladin_ is leeching off my dragons, but it's not going to save you, and I'll prove it right now! Here's my next magic card: _Burial from a Different Dimension_! This allows me to bring back up to three monsters removed from play to my Graveyard, so my three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_ return!"

The _Dark Paladin_'s strength was bolstered by 1500 points – it was now at 6900. Muto stared at Kaiba blankly.

"But that's not all!" said Kaiba, positively ecstatic, and held up another card. "I also activate this: _Diffusion_!"

The _Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon_ thus returned to the Graveyard, to be exchanged for three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_. Muto stared at them in surprise, and then burst into laughter.

"What good are they, you miserable fool?! My _Paladin_ could skewer two at once, so you're not getting past him even if you die trying!"

"Wrong! They are going to fly right over your leech without him even noticing!" retorted Kaiba. "You destroyed and mocked my dragons, and it's payback time. Now that all three of them are here together, I can activate this, too: _Delta Attacker_!"

"_IT CAN'T BE!_" howled Yugi Muto, almost trembling with rage. His fists clenched. "But that…"

"…allows me to attack with three identical normal monsters, _and do it directly_," Kaiba finished his sentence, his tone eerily calm. "I told you it was time for revenge, and I might as well go all out! _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_, all of you attack him and win this duel!"

Muto slammed his fists on the table in anger, but it was no use. He had lost 9000 points, and since he could go no lower than zero, zero his life points became. Ryou snickered.

"The duel is over! _You lose_," said Kaiba smugly, and before Muto could reach for them, he took the cards from his Graveyard. He quickly looked through them, pulling out the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_, and tossing the rest back at him. "That'll teach you to prey on others, you snake. Now get out of here and take your idiot friends with you, and stay out of my sight, because if you cross me one more time, you'll be sorry for the rest of your life…"

Yugi Muto jumped from the table as if he had been bitten by a snake.

"You'll pay for this! Get them both!" he shouted to Wheeler and Taylor, and all hell broke loose.

It happened so fast that everyone watching from behind the hedge had frozen in shock. Taylor headed for Ryou, who snarled and let him close, only to set upon him tooth and nail, while Wheeler charged at Kaiba, who barely managed to kick his chair away from the table before Wheeler tackled him, wrestling him to the ground. A savage struggle ensued, Kaiba fending off Wheeler's fist with one hand as his other hand was desperately trying to pry off the hand that now clutched at his throat and cut him off from air.

Yugi Muto took advantage of the unfolding chaos, quickly snatching up Kaiba's deck along with his own lost _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ and taking off towards the school building. Mokuba was the only one who saw, and he broke away from his brother's grasp snarling to run after him along the hedge. Ani-chan shouted and hurried after him, but his voice was drowned in the pandemonium; Ryou was howling like a banshee as Taylor yanked at his hair viciously to pay for all the bites and scratches he suffered during their scuffle. The two of them made Wheeler and Kaiba's fight seem silent in comparison, until Kaiba could finally pull his leg back far enough to kick dead-weight Wheeler in the stomach. The sharp pain made Wheeler lose his grip on Kaiba's neck, only to slam backward with the next kick. Kaiba rolled on his side, gasping for air; Wheeler's fingers left dark blotches on his skin.

In the meantime, Ryou successfully punched his opponent in the nose and Taylor was starting to regret choosing him in earnest. He changed his mind, however, when Kaiba suddenly sprung up and planted his foot between Wheeler's legs with a well-aimed kick (whose voice then reached a pitch so high that even Joey flinched in pain), jerking him up only to grab his arm and send him hurtling to the ground with a crash. He then put his foot on his neck, pressing down; Wheeler's arms twitched a little in some vague attempt to get up, but the weight on his neck seemed to be growing each time he moved, and in the end, he gave up altogether and just lay there groaning like some living throw-rug.

"Stay down, mutt," growled Kaiba, taking his foot off him and leaving him behind.

By that time, Taylor finally kicked his opponent away and decided to make a run for it. He dashed out of the school yard, dust billowing in his wake, denying Kaiba the chance to have a word with him. Ryou wheezed and spat like a vicious cat, a hand on his aching ribs, but let him run and slowly began to retreat himself; he suspected that Seto wanted him dead, and wasn't far from the truth as Kaiba clenched his fists and started towards him. Ryou was only spared by all attention suddenly shifting away from him, leaving him time to run away: Mokuba had jumped in front of Yugi Muto from behind the hedge and punched him in the face. Muto ended up on the ground along with Kaiba's cards. His nose was gushing blood.

"That's for my brother, you scumbag!" cried Mokuba, stepping closer to give him another one, but before he could, Yugi tore the leather collar off his neck with one swift move and struck him in the face with the buckled end so hard it made Mokuba's eyes spark with pain. He fell to the ground, landing on his backside. His vision turned milky.

The air froze. Kaiba howled in shock; Yugi and the others groaned behind the hedge, and then all started running to try and protect Mokuba. They were too late, however: the next moment, Seto finally reached the end of the hedge, and when he saw the deep, bloody cut across his little brother's face, his blood boiled. Muto didn't even notice him, instead rising his feet and stepping over to Mokuba to strike him again, but the moment he raised his hand, Seto seized his arm and hit him in the face so badly it made Muto collapse again. His head smacked hard against the ground and then whipped backwards as Seto's hand fumbled and grasped for his shirt and yanked him back up. Seto's hand was shaking fiercely as its clenched on the fabric. His teeth were bared.

"Nobody hurts my family! You hear me?! _NOBODY, EVER, AGAIN!_" he shouted in Muto's face, shaking him like a cat shaking a rat. Yugi Muto stared into his angry blue eyes, his own eyes hazy. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a groan, and Muto fainted.


	27. The Winner's Prize

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>THE WINNER'S PRIZE<strong>

Thus ended the duel that started honorably and then descended into total anarchy. When Seto realized that he had rendered his opponent harmless, he immediately released him (Muto dropped like a rock, but Seto didn't care), and kneeled down to his little brother to gather him in his arms. Mokuba returned his embrace without a word, clinging to his brother's neck as though he would never let go again.

"Are you alright, Mokuba?" asked Seto, his tone worried as he examined the bruised, bloody cut on his little brother's cheek. Mokuba's eyes were wet, but he smiled and nodded.

"Never better, Ani-chan," he replied, practically glowing with brotherly pride.

"You were awesome! Both of you!" came Mokuba Kaiba's cheerful cry when he finally caught up to them. Kaiba coughed sharply behind his back. Mokuba spun around and then burst into laughter when he saw him.

"You are always awesome, Nii-sama. I thought you knew," he said grinning, and ran to embrace his brother. Kaiba clicked his tongue sarcastic but content all the same.

"Are you alright?" he asked the injured Mokuba, who still wore a proud grin on his face.

"You were great, Nii-sama," he said, and both little brothers started giggling.

By this time, the others had also decided to come out from behind the hedge. Muto still lay unconscious, Taylor and Ryou were miles away, and Wheeler was crawling home on all fours, so overwhelmed by nausea that he neither saw nor heard them. Yugi and his friends hurried to the brothers, all of them grinning in a daze of glory.

"You did it, rich boy!" Joey cried cheerfully when he reached them; Kaiba tilted his chin up haughtily, and just this once, he had nothing scornful to say.

"Are you alright?" asked Yugi, also grinning ear to ear.

"Mokuba needs to be treated as soon as possible," replied Kaiba. "I'm fine."

"Maybe I can help," said Téa, searching around in her handbag. She soon found some alcoholic hand wipes and a box of band-aids on the bottom and carefully bandaged Mokuba, who braved the pain and decided to give himself the nickname Scar Face, to be envied by school children everywhere.

As the others gathered around Seto's little brother, Kaiba turned to Yugi Muto on the ground, gathering his deck and checking his cards for all four _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_. He pocketed the precious cards and then knelt over Muto, carefully drawing up his eyelids. They seemed fine; he would be well eventually. Kaiba was about to rise to his feet, leaving him on the ground, but then changed his mind and, on a whim, he picked up the unconscious boy by his waistband and carried him to the table. There he set him on his chair, letting him collapse on top of his scattered cards as a loser should be. The others watched him in thought; Seto gave his little brother a gentle squeeze, and then rose to slowly walk over to his eldest.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked quietly, glancing at Kaiba's neck.

"I am," said Kaiba, his lips twitching into a smile. His throat was still on fire, his skin dark from Wheeler's hand, but as he looked at Seto's softened features, his large, gleaming eyes, neither the pain nor the marks bothered him anymore.

"Thank you so much," said Ani-chan, his voice strained.

"Don't mention it," said Kaiba plainly. "You would have done the same in my place."

"You risked so much…"

"It was worth the risk," said Kaiba, and thinking Seto meant the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ (when he meant Kaiba's physical safety), he reached into his pocket in search of his prize, and then it held up for Seto to see. He took a deep breath and offered it, but Seto did not take it; and so Kaiba took his hand and placed the card in his palm. "And now it's yours."

Seto could not speak. His eyes went wide.

"You don't have a deck yet, after all. Why not start with this…" he said as he took out and showed him his three _Blue-Eyes White Dragons_, "…so that one day, you could have _these_?"

Ani-chan stared at Nii-sama, a tear rolling down his cheek. He reached for his locket with trembling hands, flicking it open, and gingerly removed his little brother's photograph, sliding the precious card behind it and sealing both away to hang above his heart. When he closed the locket, his fingers clenched around it, feeling as though he had everything he always wanted, and the next moment, he launched forward, wrapping his arms around Nii-sama. The gesture made Kaiba extremely uncomfortable, surrounded by amused, happy faces, but he heroically let Ani-chan cling to him like a child, and in the end, he returned the embrace.

"So, what now?" asked Tristan, and all eyes turned on Kaiba, who patted Seto on the shoulder before gently disentangling himself and turning to the others.

"We'll take Mokuba to the emergency room, and then I'll change somewhere, and we celebrate," he announced with a small smile, the others cheering in approval.

"Alright, but I'm buying dinner, Nii-sama," Mokuba said with a grin, and just like a true Kaiba, he, too, would not take no for an answer. The others yielded, and so everyone set off for the city in high spirits, and once Mokuba acquired a few stitches and a tetanus shot (which he bore with extreme courage, or at least a faithful facade of it) Kaiba put his own clothes back on, and they set out again to find a restaurant, and celebrate in style.


	28. Returning Home

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>RETURNING HOME<strong>

And so two days had passed in the other dimension. Yugi and his friends could hardly grasp how fast time had flown, having no inkling of how long they had been prisoners by the measures of the world they left behind. To the Pharaoh and Bakura, who continued their vicious struggle in their own world, these two days were no more than twenty minutes – twenty eternal minutes. Once the _Dimension Gate_ closed, the Pharaoh's turn began with a mere 1800 life points and _Gamma the Magnet Warrior_, while Bakura waited with two active magic cards and the _Earl of Demise_ on his side of the field, still at 4000 life points.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Bakura.

"Nothing now, Bakura," declared the Pharaoh. "I sacrifice _Gamma, the Magnet Warrior_ to bring out the _Summoned Skull_! But that's not all! I also activate my magic card, _Premature Burial_! This allows me to bring back a monster from the Graveyard, so _Gamma_ returns to the field!"

_Gamma_ thus returned to assume his position by the _Summoned Skull_, staring down Bakura's undead warrior.

"_Summoned Skull_, attack the _Earl of Demise_!" he shouted, and the _Earl_ fell into the dust.

"And now it's your turn, _Gamma the Magnet Warrior_! Attack him directly!"

Bakura snarled. He had lost 500 life points and then another 1500.

"And now I shall place a card face-down. Your move," said Yami, his tone calm.

"Fine by me!" growled Bakura as he drew. "I activate my magic card: _Pot of Greed_. Now I draw."

He drew two cards. His eyes sparked.

"I summon a monster face-down in defense mode. And now I remove the _Headless Knight_, _Sangan_ and _Gernia_ from play to summon this: come forth, _Dark Necrofear_!"

Black flames flared up on the field, slowly revealing _Dark Necrofear_, beautiful and terrifying as ever as she awaited Bakura's orders in attack position.

"_Dark Necrofear_! Attack _Gamma, the Magnet Warrior_!"

"I will defend my _Magnet Warrior_!" cried Yami, revealing his face-down card. "_Negate Attack!_"

Bakura laughed at him.

"Go ahead and waste your traps on such a worthless monster. What I have in store for the next round will be much, much worse!"

"I'm not afraid of you, Bakura! I know I can defeat you!" said Yami, drawing a card. "First, I will play this magic card: _Dark Magic Curtain_! Using this means I won't be able to summon any more monsters this turn, but I don't need to: not when I have the _Dark Magician_! Finally, I activate this card: the _Swords of Revealing Light_!"

Bakura flipped the monster he had placed face-down in defense mode: a _Morphing Jar._

"Thank you, Pharaoh," he said darkly as he threw away his last card and drew until he had five cards in his hand. Yami followed suit.

"But that's not all! _Summoned Skull_, attack the _Morphing Jar_!"

The _Jar_ was shattered. Only _Dark Necrofear_ remained on Bakura's side, lonely but threatening all the same.

"Much good did that do you!" sneered Bakura as he drew a new card. "I place _Dark Necrofear_ in defense mode and summon a monster in face-down defense position… and now I'm going to turn your own monster against you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"This magic card: _Misfortune_! With this card, I can choose a monster from your side of the field and take half of its attack points from your life points!"

Yami clutched at his chest in pain. He had lost 1250 points; only 550 life points remained.

"Thank your _Dark Magician_…"

The Pharaoh clenched his jaw and drew, hope still burning in his eyes.

"I play this card: _Emergency Provisions_! I may be forced to give up _Swords of Revealing Light_ and _Premature Burial_, losing _Gamma, the Magnet Warrior_ in the process, but this allows me to gain back two thousand life points. And now I place a card face-down," he told his opponent. Now he had 2550 points and hoped that it would be enough to survive…

"Finally," said Bakura satisfied, drawing a card. "Time to clear your side of the field…"

He revealed the monster he had in face-down defense mode: a _Man-Eater Bug_.

"Say goodbye to _Summoned Skull_!" he laughed, and the _Skull_ was no more. "And now you are going to lose your _Dark Magician_: attack him, _Dark Necrofear_!"

_Dark Necrofear_ had perished in the battle, but she used her last ounce of strength to possess the _Dark Magician_, drawing him onto Bakura's side of the field.

"I may have lost three-hundred points, but I gained a new monster," said Bakura, having merely fallen to 1700 life points. "And now the _Maneater Bug _will attack as well, just so you would grasp how pathetic your situation is!"

The Pharaoh had lost 450 life points. 2100 life points were left.

"I end my turn. Your move…"

"Don't think you can stop me, Bakura!" said the Pharaoh, and when he drew his next card, his heart jolted fiercely.

"First, I summon _Beaver Warrior_ in defense mode. And now it is finally time to free my friends, so activate _this_:_ De-Spell_!"

The gang and the four brothers were just passing through a small alley towards the main shopping avenue when the Pharaoh's magic card opened up the _Dimension Gate_. A shining gash appeared in the middle of the street, as though time had been clawed open.

"What's happening?" asked Seto, his tone alarmed as he drew his little brothers closer. The rift pulsated faster, luminous and angry, engulfing them in a glaring white light. Mokuba's jaw hung wide open.

"The Gate!" cried Yugi, half scared, half relieved. _Pharaoh, you did it!_

The next moment, a light beam lashed out from the gate and Téa screamed as it seized her arm, tearing her away from her friends like the wind snatching a flower by the root. Joey tried to grab her, but all he grasped was air. In a flash, a light beam wrapped around his throat, jerking him up along with Tristan latched onto his arm. Then the next beam captured Yugi and the four friends were gone. The brothers' eyes went wide with fear.

"Look out!" cried Mokuba Kaiba as a new light beam appeared and, missing its true target, was about to strike his counterpart. He jumped in front of Seto's little brother and shoved him aside. The beam wrapped around him the next moment, dragging him into the rift.

"_Mokuba!_" screamed three voices in unison. Seto snatched his little brother from the ground and seized Kaiba's arm to pull him away from danger, but it was in vain. The last beam coiled around Kaiba's other arm, tearing him from his brother's grasp. Even Seto felt it, as though he had been electrified; the sudden, rippling shock sent him to the ground along with his little brother. Kaiba howled and tried to reach for them, but a moment later, the rift had disappeared and tore them apart, perhaps forever.


	29. Battle to the Death

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>BATTLE TO THE DEATH<strong>

It all happened in a matter of seconds; they could hardly grasp what was happening until they were face to face on the field. Yugi and his friends were bound together again like some giant human spindle, and Kaiba was standing on Bakura's side with his little brother on his arm. His hand was shaking; he could still feel Ani-chan's fingers on his wrist, and the painful loss wrenched his heart like a rag. Mokuba's eyes were wet. Yugi and the others watched them with aching hearts.

"Finally, you're all back!" cried the Pharaoh, but nobody could return the glad, relieved smile on his face. Kaiba and Mokuba lowered their heads and the four friends sank into awkward silence, not wanting to upset neither the stranded brothers nor the Pharaoh who had fought so hard for them.

"So much for gratitude…" said Bakura, low and malevolent, and nobody smiled anymore except him. "To think that you have been struggling all this time to save these pathetic mortals, and they won't so much as say a word."

"Yugi… Kaiba…" tried Yami. His heart clenched. Was he too late? "Are you alright?"

"We're alright, Pharaoh," replied Yugi on behalf of all the others, because the brothers remained silent. "Don't worry about us, just keep fighting!"

"At least one of them had finally something intelligent to say. Fight, Pharaoh. Now that they have returned, you cannot delay your attach much longer…"

Yami stared at the _Beaver Warrior_. It was waiting in defense mode, and though it could have destroyed the _Man-Eater Bug_, he would have paid dearly in the next turn.

"_Beaver Warrior_ stays in defense mode."

"Then it's time for your friends, so say goodbye!"

"I have no intention to!" snapped the Pharaoh. "I will activate this: _Dimension Hole_! This allows me to remove one of my creatures from play until my next turn, and I choose my friends! I end my turn."

The card flared up underneath the Yugi and his friends' feet, turning them faint and translucent as though only their ghosts remained to haunt the playing field. Thanks to the limitations of _Dimension Hole_, they all stayed on the field; the magic card assured their quick return to the same slot. Bakura glared resentfully.

"Go ahead and hide them: they won't escape either way!" he promised with a malevolent smile. "And now, it's my turn!" he said, drawing a card.

"I will start by activating this magic card: _Magical Stone Excavation_. This allows me to throw away two cards to take back one magic card from the Graveyard, and I choose _Monster Reborn_. With this, I will bring back an old friend… _The Earl of Demise_. I also flip my face-down monster: _Versago, the Destroyer_! Finally, I sacrifice _Man-Eater Bug_ to bring out the _Dark Ruler_!"

Yugi and his friends watched in horror as five strong foes stared down Yami's one remaining. Kaiba and Mokuba exchanged glances, then stared wide-eyed at the Pharaoh.

"_Earl of Demise_, destroy _Beaver Warrior_!"

The Pharaoh was spared, but became defenseless. His opponent grinned in disdain.

"I'm about to deliver a mere nine-thousand points of damage, Pharaoh," said Bakura with an air of false modesty, baring his pointed canines. "Just try and stop me…"

"I will, with all I have," promised Yami.

"Just what could you do about it?! Not even two lives would save you now!" snapped Bakura.

"I'll do this!" cried the Pharaoh, revealing his trap. "_Nutrient Z_ will add four-thousand points to my life points at the last moment!"

"I see no one has taught you mathematics… well, allow me!" cried Bakura, unleashing his attack. The confiscated _Dark Magician_, _Versago_ and the _Dark Ruler_ struck the Pharaoh one by one. His life points dropped to 50 even after _Nutrient Z_, and there was still more to come…

"How unfortunate…" purred Bakura. "You don't have a single monster or card to defend you. How pathetic… and convenient," he said, pointing at the Kaiba brothers. "Here is the card that will give you the final blow, and it was about time! Kaiba, attack the Pharaoh and destroy him once and for all!"

Kaiba could feel his muscles tense, as though his limbs were yanked on wires. His free hand swung forward, glowing white; Mokuba thrashed on his side looking terrified.

"Kaiba, _NO!_" cried Yugi in horror.

"_Nii-sama!_" screamed Mokuba.

"I…can't…stop it!" breathed Kaiba, struggling hard.

"White lightning attack!" cried Bakura triumphantly. "Say farewell, Pharaoh!"

The shining, deadly beam burst forth from Kaiba's fingers, rushing towards Yami. His friends' screams and the brothers' howls were lost in the explosion in its wake.

"I discard _Kuriboh_ from my hand!" cried Yami, throwing away his last remaining card.

"_What?!_" spat Bakura.

"This allows me to reduce the damage of one monster to zero, and I choose Kaiba!" declared Yami. The white lightning burst into a cloud of sparkling dust. Bakura snarled helplessly. Yugi and his friends slowly began to materialize, reappearing on the playing field again.

"You're all safe," sighed Yami in relief, smiling at the grateful faces of his friends… until an angry voice dragged him back into the game.

"_Kuriboh_?! Yugi, I respect you as a duelist, but _Kuriboh_?!" snapped Kaiba, his face crimson, having finally come around from a surge of horror and helpless anger. "How could you risk our lives on such a weak card?!"

"There was no other way, Kaiba, but I promise I will make it up to you as soon as I can," came the Pharaoh's patient reply.

"You had better!" came the angry reply. The four friends rolled their eyes. Mokuba shook his head.

"Now, it's my turn!" said Yami, drawing a new card – an old friend. "I activate my magic card: _Pot of Greed_! Now I draw two more cards," he said, placing his hand on his deck. _Heart of the cards, please let me find the way… there has to be a way…_

"Let's not waste time, Pharaoh," sneered Bakura. "You cannot delay your attack forever, unless you send Kaiba straight to the Graveyard where he belongs."

Kaiba snarled; Mokuba stared at the Pharaoh wide-eyed. Yami's eyes flashed sharply.

"I have no intention of risking Kaiba and Mokuba' life. I will fight to the very end! All I have left are two cards… so I place one of them face down, and then play this: _Soul Exchange_! This would allow me to sacrifice one of your monsters, but I cannot, since I have nothing to summon… but once it's activated, my battle phase is over, so my friends are safe once again."

Bakura snorted resentfully.

"Your move," said Yami, his heart in his throat; everything hinged on Bakura now.

"You are pathetic, Pharaoh," said Bakura with disdain, drawing a card himself. "And I will show you just _how_ pathetic you are. You have wasted your cards blindly, lost your _Dark Magician_ and all your attempts were in vain! You are a mere fifty points away from death. Any of my monsters would be perfect for the task now, but none of them more so than Kaiba, because what would take them two steps, he can do in one swift strike…"

Kaiba and Mokuba stared at the Pharaoh, both very pale. Bakura raised his finger, pointing at Yami.

"Say goodbye to your friends, because I won and the winner takes it all. _Kaiba! _Attack Yugi and his friends and destroy them and the Pharaoh! White lightning attack!"

Kaiba's hand shot forward once again, his palm beginning to glow. He struggled till the very last moment, but the light beam burst forward, hurtling towards Yugi and his friends.

"At last!" laughed Bakura. "You lose, Pharaoh!"

That was the moment when Yami broke into a smile. Bakura's blood curdled.

"I activate my trap: _Magic Cylinder_!"

"What?!" screamed Bakura. He and the brothers stared frozen as a giant, ornate cylinder appeared from nothing, swallowing the white lightning that could have killed them once and for all.

"_Magic Cylinder_ absorbs the damage of your monster, and then directs the damage right back at you!"

"_THIS CAN'T BE!_" howled Bakura, completely beside himself.

"_This_ is where it ends!" cried Yami, glancing to Kaiba, who stood pale but proud and erect on his card. "Kaiba, will you do me the honor of ending this duel?"

"Gladly," replied Kaiba, turning to face Bakura with a determined snarl. His hand shot forward again, but this time, his finger was pointed at Bakura, his eyes sparking. "You have made a big mistake challenging me, Bakura! This is for endangering our lives! _Magic Cylinder, _direct my attack back at him!"

"_NOOO!_" howled Bakura, but it was too late. The beam shot out of the cylinder, flew right past the Kaiba brothers and devastated Bakura. His scream filled the air; his life points were reduced to zero, and he collapsed to his knees in anger.

"This… isn't… over…" he breathed, gnashing his teeth.

"You are wrong, Bakura. Your shadow game has ended!" replied Yami. "And now we are going to leave the darkness behind. _Mind crush!_"


	30. Legacy

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>LEGACY<strong>

Bakura's last scream pierced the darkness like a knife, and the once impenetrable fog shell was torn apart in the crossfire of early morning light. The glowing shackles of the Millennium Ring melted away and the next moment, a pale, frail figure fell to the pavement: the real Ryou Bakura. Yugi and his friends merely swayed a little, but Mokuba nearly fell down when the molten beams released him. Luckily, Kaiba caught him in time and held him until his feet touched the ground, but Mokuba quickly clung to his brother's neck and would not let go even when Kaiba tried to stand. In the end, he walked over to Yugi and the others with his little brother in his arms, watching as they carefully helped up the obviously harmless and clueless Ryou.

"Where am I? What happened…?" asked Ryou when he finally managed to regain his balance and stand on his own feet.

"The Spirit of the Ring took control of you, but I managed to stop him," replied the Pharaoh. "Everything is alright now."

The others tried for friendly smiles but Kaiba wrapped his arms protectively around his little brother, eyeing Ryou with bitter hatred. He hardly knew what burned with more fury in his heart: his anger or his sorrow, but he seemed entirely too close to putting Mokuba down and seeking retribution. A single glance at him was enough to make Ryou understand that his presence was no longer wanted, and so he politely excused himself and began walking home, tired and lonely as ever.

"It is good to see you all back," the Pharaoh spoke again, his friends finally returning his smile. Kaiba, however, remained cold and somber. Mokuba clung to him in silence. "I hope nothing bad happened to you in that other world… when you returned, I was afraid I had been too late."

"We're okay. I kind of enjoyed it while it lasted. It was a great adventure," said Tristan. "Too bad it was over so soon."

"We couldn't even say goodbye," spoke Mokuba, his voice strained. "I wish we didn't have to leave Seto and Mokuba behind…"

"I know how ya feel. I wish we could've exchanged Kaiba for his alter ego, too," said Joey, his tone teasing.

"Shut up, Joey!" snapped Mokuba, burying his face in his brother's shoulder. Kaiba's eyes flashed furiously.

"Way to upset my little brother, Wheeler!"

"_I was joking_, Kaiba!" came Joey's angry retort. "Don't you have a sense of humor?"

"_No!_" snapped both brothers at once.

"You met Kaiba's alter ego?" asked Yami, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. Too bad ya missed it," said Joey gently, glancing at Mokuba's scrunched up face. "You would've liked 'im."

"What about your alter egos?"

"Let's not talk about them," said Tristan. "But Kaiba's doppelganger was pretty cool."

"I would still like to hear what they were like and what happened to you," said the Pharaoh. "Say, over breakfast?"

"Breakfast sounds good," agreed Joey. Téa and Tristan nodded.

"Kaiba, Mokuba. Join us," said Yami as he turned to them. "It would be my pleasure," he added as a sign of good will. He could tell that Kaiba would have immediately declined on principle, but Mokuba slowly lifted his head and looked at his brother.

"Can we go with them, Nii-sama?" he asked quietly, a strange gleam in his eyes.

"…Fine," replied Kaiba, as if resigning himself to some grave punishment. "Let's go."

His little brother still looked pale and melancholy, but his lips finally twitched into a faint smile. He careful let go of his brother's neck, allowing Kaiba to set him down. Mokuba then turned to face the others.

"I'm buying," he said, straightening himself. "I was going to pay for dinner, anyway," he added, wiping a tear.

Seto and Mokuba shared the brothers' pain; losing them felt as though they had been orphaned all over again. They waited for hours in that small street, searching every inch and crevice and then curling up by the wall, hoping the others would return, but it was all in vain. Nothing was left of their friends and brothers but the plastic bag full of clothes that fell to the ground with them when the gate swallowed Nii-sama. When they understood that they had been left behind for good, Seto drew his little brother close and they clung together, their shoulders trembling. They went home with their faces still wet and Seto lugging that plastic bag, and when he opened the closet to put the clothes away, he found the rest, too, along with the suit he didn't even know existed. It was suspended from a hanger, snow white and beautiful, and Ani-chan thought he was going to die in grief that this was all he had left of his brother: a few clothes, a suit and a card above his heart.

They had slept through most of Sunday, not even having enough strength to get up and eat even though both were starving, and come Monday morning, they nearly stayed home, not wanting to face whatever awaited them in school. It was only Seto's inexorable sense of duty that made them dress up and face the starting school week… and be pleasantly surprised when they found out that Yugi Muto and his friends had decided to leave Seto alone for good. Muto returning home one _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ short that Saturday night, was the last straw for Solomon, who dished out enough punishment to permanently deter Muto from quarrelling about the past. Wheeler and Taylor spent the whole weekend licking their wounds (Taylor literally) and so they, too, decided it was best not to go looking for trouble. As for Ryou, he swore vengeance against Muto and immediately began spreading the news on Seto's victory next Monday to spite them all, but regretted it soon afterwards. From that moment onward, Yugi Muto hounded him day and night, challenging him to duels and getting into fights with him until Ryou finally had enough of his constant harassment and changed schools.

Overall, the first day of school after the big event went better than Seto had hoped. He attended his classes in peace and went home with his little brother feeling nothing but quiet resignation. Their lives may not have changed, but at least they had learnt what it was like to see the end of the war. _It's still something when you don't have anything else in the world,_ mused Seto, so immersed in his thoughts that he did not even look at that day's post until he reached his room. He was holding a large, thick envelope in his hand, which he had thought was a magazine until he spied the address and sank down on the bed, looking utterly confused.

"Ani-chan?" asked Mokuba, tense and alert. Seto made no answer; he merely took a pair of scissors and cut the envelope open. Into his lap fell a folded stack of papers and a letter on dip-dyed paper.

_My dear friend,_

_I hope you are pleased with yourself. Here is your contract with all the conditions you had so prudently bargained for. Congratulations and I expect you and your precious gadget in my office on Friday for light lunch at noon sharp and a press conference. I hope you don't have stage fright, young man. Oh, and I've enclosed a check – consider it a down payment from your first month's pay and for Heaven's sake, buy yourself a nice new suit by Friday._

_Kinds regards, your future employer,_

_ Maximillion Pegasus_

_P.S. My regards to your baby brother. He can come too, but again, suits only. Striped shirts and jeans are not front page material._

Mokuba settled down by his brother's side so they could both read the letter, exchanging stunned glances afterwards. Seto carefully handed it over to his little brother and then began unfolding the stack resting in his lap, his hands trembling. It was a clean, finalized contract on the manufacturing and distribution of the duel disk, containing more than fair conditions and Pegasus' authorized signature. It was an obvious copy, the original preserved for Friday. Only then did Mokuba spy another piece of paper peeking out of the envelope: the check for the suit(s) that made Seto's scholarship look like a bad joke. Mokuba glanced at his brother who rose to his feet like a sleepwalker and pulled out the bottom drawer, his eyes wide as he lifted out Kaiba's duel disk – an exact effigy of his life's work. He took out his own neatly bound binder from the drawer as well, untying it gingerly only to find a thick envelope containing another stack of papers and another letter.

_Dear Seto,_

_When we first came here with Mokuba, I found this binder and when I realized what was in it, I was determined to help you. Your draft and theory were nearly perfect: I only corrected the parts where I had to correct myself during manufacturing and programming. I hope you can forgive me for presenting it without your permission and passing my own duel disk as the prototype. I only had the best intentions for you and Mokuba. I hope Pegasus will keep his word and choose you as he promised, but just to be safe, I asked for a copy of the meeting minutes so you would have something to refer to. Pegasus promised the contract copy would arrive by Monday: if he keeps his words and sends it, double check it using these minutes._

_I don't know how long we will stay in this world, but if we are no longer here by the time you read this, know that it was an honor meeting you. You have no idea how much I respect you for staying strong all these years and I hope you will soon have the life you deserve._

_Take care of yourself and Mokuba,_

_ S. K._

_P.S. I enclosed another envelope just in case. Consider it a gift from me and Mokuba._

Seto pressed a hand to his mouth, his pale face glowing. Mokuba, who had barely begun to grasp all this, hugged his brother around the shoulders with a teary-eyed grin as Seto carefully reached into the large envelope and fished out a smaller one with Mokuba Kaiba's handwriting on the front.

_Dear Seto and Mokuba,_

_So you've found our gift. I hope it will make you happy! It was great getting to know you! I really want to take you both back with us, but just in case we can't, here's something to make up for it._

_Love,_

_ Mokuba and Nii-sama_

This letter was opened by Mokuba, Seto's hand shaking so much he even had to put down the letter from his brother. Mokuba took the scissors, carefully cut the envelope open, and his breath was snatched away. He pulled out a thick stack of bills: half the monthly salary of a CEO and his Vice President.

Mokuba could contain himself no longer and laughed, never having felt so light in his life. He flung himself into his brother's arms and Seto held him tight, his own laughter quiet and shocked. His little brother beamed at him and held out the money, spreading it out like a soft green fan.

"Ani-chan… is this what it feels like to be rich?" he asked in awe. His brother stared at him stunned, caught in strange, bittersweet _déjà vu._

"_Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't,_" he quoted Kaiba's words, for one moment becoming one with the brother who took a mere two days to break and console him, to take the risk and fight for him, and while they weren't looking, to put on a white suit and save him. A million feelings and memories flushed over him, so acute they drew tears from his eyes. Mokuba stared at him dumbfounded.

"What does that mean?" he asked at last and Seto started laughing again, finally realizing what Nii-sama had really done. He had gently, quietly woven himself into their lives, leaving them a new, better future where everything that may come had become a gift from him, and Seto was left stunned as he realized he was no longer angry at his relatives for stripping them of their inheritance nine years ago and it no longer hurt that he had starved, suffered and lived in constant need; because one day, Nii-sama appeared out of nowhere, consoled him, and then set everything right before the light took him away…

"It means Nii-sama's an angel," he replied to his little brother, and he cried.


	31. Six Months Later

**Author's note:**

This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.

* * *

><p><strong>SIX MONTHS LATER<strong>

Seto still rises at dawn but no longer has to creep in the hallway like a shadow and conquer the staircase leading down to the kitchen in small, painstakingly careful steps. His walk is calm, his shoulders straight in the early morning silence just barely tinged with birdsong, and he sets the table for breakfast as though it were a dance. The coffee maker purrs contentedly in the background, seeping freshly percolated, strong coffee into the cup below.

The floor creeks, the railing cries and Mokuba appears a moment later, still in pajamas but very much awake and cheerful. He sniffs the air and demands coffee, acting like he's upset he cannot have any, but he can hardly contain his good mood: his grin is so wide it makes the scar under his eye look wrinkled. Seto musses his hair.

"What would you like for breakfast?" comes the question, no longer once a week but every single morning, early enough to make any wish come true. They had tried eating in the kitchen, the garden, the balcony and in bed, and sometimes, they went to a small breakfast place or hopped over to a nearby bakery. Seto waits patiently. Mokuba doesn't take long.

"Pancakes!" he replies happily and immediately dashes to the fridge for eggs, milk and butter, while Seto looks for the tin of premixed dry ingredients in the cupboard.

He fries up a neat stack of small, thick pancakes as Mokuba conjures up all the eligible toppings in the house: honey, maple syrup, jam, a jar of peanut butter and who knows what else is put on the table while Seto divides their breakfast between two plates. Mokuba's share is twice as big as his, but no longer out of necessity. Seto's stomach expands slowly, that's all.

They eat slowly and silently. Their mouths are full and both are staring dreamily at the green outside world beyond the glass wall of the kitchen. It's a beautiful March day: windy, sunny, enticing, and so they dress up, Mokuba putting on jeans and a hoodie and Seto, a form-fitting striped suit. Mokuba's backpack is heavy, his lunch box full. Seto now wraps his sandwiches in the comic supplement and packs himself several small packets of high-calorie snacks – oily nuts, dried fruits –, these having replaced all those bottles of vitamins that had nursed both of them back to proper health.

They walk together to the gate where Mokuba hugs his Ani-chan as tight as he can manage, and then jogs, runs, leaps and dashes to school like a true young parkour champion. Seto walks or rides his bicycle – the local headquarters of Industrial Illusions isn't very far. He has a ton of e-mails and meetings waiting, but has since caught the rhythm of the place, the moods of his superior and the most effective ways of conducting his business.

He only breaks rhythm when, sitting by his desk, he takes out his locket for just a moment to muse over the _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_. He closes his eyes, imagining Nii-sama sitting at his own desk just like him, only his locket has nothing of theirs – he might not even remember his two brothers who have kept and treasured everything he had left behind, putting all his things in the guestroom as though he could still return someday.

Ani-chan's eyes brim with tears and across a thousand other dimensions, in a far, far away world, Kaiba's heart jolts fiercely for the brother he had lost.

**THE END**


End file.
